Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. Cuts Position in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Peregrine Asset Advisers sharply cut its Johnson & Johnson stake by 66.4% in the first quarter, leaving it with 10,551 shares worth about $2.58 million.
• Johnson & Johnson continues to draw bullish analyst support, with 20 Buy ratings, 7 Hold ratings, and a consensus Moderate Buy target of $256.70. Several firms recently raised price targets, including Guggenheim and Raymond James.
• The company reported solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and it also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share. Recent news highlights include European medtech expansion and ongoing progress in its cancer pipeline.

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lowered its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 66.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,551 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,889 shares during the quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company's stock worth $49,740,362,000 after acquiring an additional 3,731,074 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,704,364,000 after acquiring an additional 1,663,782 shares in the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company's stock worth $1,436,633,000 after purchasing an additional 69,108,368 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 57,953,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,967,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,738,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $6,924,523,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Members of Congress have been buying J&J shares, which can signal confidence in the company’s prospects and may attract attention from retail investors. Members of Congress Are Loading Up on Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth. Here's Why Retail Investors Should Pay Attention.
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson launched its Dual-Energy THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF cardiac ablation platform in Europe, adding a commercial growth catalyst in its medtech business. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Launches Dual-Energy Cardiac Ablation Catheter in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: J&J is being highlighted as a top dividend and defensive healthcare name, with articles pointing to its reliable cash flow, dividend profile, and long-term appeal. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): Focused on Cancer and Neuroscience as a Top Dividend Aristocrat Stock to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Recent updates say J&J is strengthening its cancer pipeline, including European progress for Tecvayli in combination with Darzalex and an acquisition of Firefly Bio to expand oncology research. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Expands Cancer Pipeline As Talc Verdict Eases One Risk
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces reiterated bullish Wall Street views and compared J&J favorably with AbbVie, supporting the stock’s valuation narrative but not adding a major new catalyst. Is It Worth Investing in Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Based on Wall Street's Bullish Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J was also featured in dividend-income and portfolio articles, which helps reinforce its reputation as a stable income stock, though these pieces are unlikely to move shares much on their own. J&J or AbbVie: Which Stock Deserves a Place in Your Portfolio Now?
• Negative Sentiment: No major negative company-specific headline stood out in the latest set of articles; the closest risk item is that ongoing litigation remains a background concern, even as one recent talc verdict went J&J’s way. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Expands Cancer Pipeline As Talc Verdict Eases One Risk

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total value of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $283.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $256.70.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock opened at $262.52 on Monday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $233.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.37. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $154.21 and a 52-week high of $263.10. The company has a market capitalization of $631.93 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The business's revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.97%.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and previously consumer health. Founded in 1886 by the Johnson family, the company has grown into a global healthcare organization with operations and sales in many countries around the world.

The company's pharmaceuticals business, organized largely under its Janssen research and development organization, focuses on prescription medicines across therapeutic areas such as immunology, infectious disease, oncology and neuroscience.

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