Simplify Asset Management Inc. Has $8.10 Million Stake in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Simplify Asset Management increased its Johnson & Johnson stake by 50.8% in the first quarter, adding 11,161 shares to bring its total to 33,121 shares valued at about $8.1 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on J&J, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $257.13; several firms recently raised targets, though Weiss Ratings trimmed its rating slightly.
• Johnson & Johnson reported Q1 earnings and revenue above expectations, and it also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share, implying a 2.0% annual yield.

Simplify Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 50.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,121 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,161 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises 0.1% of Simplify Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Simplify Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $8,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Family CFO Inc bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $274.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $257.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 3.6%

NYSE JNJ traded up $9.36 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $268.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,799,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,414,570. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $233.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.37. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $154.21 and a twelve month high of $268.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $646.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.02, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.24.

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

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.97%.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

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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