Smith Group Asset Management LLC Acquires 11,139 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Smith Group Asset Management increased its Johnson & Johnson stake by 8% in the first quarter, acquiring 11,139 shares for a total holding of 150,121 shares valued at approximately $36.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 69.55% of JNJ.
• Johnson & Johnson reported strong second-quarter results, with revenue up 6.6% to $25.31 billion and adjusted EPS of $2.90, beating estimates. The company raised or reaffirmed 2026 adjusted EPS guidance at $11.60–$11.75, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $265.30 target price.
• A proposed $5.5 billion talc-lawsuit settlement could reduce legal uncertainty, although it depends on participation from at least 95% of claimants and remains subject to legal processes. J&J also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.34 per share, equivalent to a 2.0% annualized yield.

Smith Group Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 150,121 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,139 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for approximately 1.9% of Smith Group Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Smith Group Asset Management LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $36,696,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of JNJ. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,436,633,000 after purchasing an additional 69,108,368 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,924,523,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,005,942,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 24,436.5% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,473,008 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,338,000 after buying an additional 4,454,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company's stock worth $49,740,362,000 after buying an additional 3,731,074 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.27, for a total value of $5,792,778.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,779,963.81. The trade was a 50.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $263.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $265.30.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Talc settlement removes a major overhang. J&J proposed paying up to $5.5 billion to resolve approximately 76,000 remaining U.S. lawsuits alleging that its talc products caused ovarian cancer. Investors appear to view the agreement as reducing years of legal uncertainty and improving visibility into future liabilities. The deal requires participation by at least 95% of claimants, with payments expected to begin in 2027, so final resolution is not yet guaranteed. Reuters talc settlement article
• Positive Sentiment: J&J delivered strong second-quarter results and raised its outlook. Revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $25.31 billion, exceeding expectations, while adjusted earnings per share of $2.90 topped the consensus estimate. Full-year 2026 guidance was set at $11.60–$11.75 per share, supporting confidence in the company’s operating performance. Yahoo Finance earnings article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley reiterated Buy ratings following the settlement news, with price targets remaining above the recent trading level. One analyst said progress on the talc resolution removes a significant valuation discount. TipRanks Goldman Sachs rating article
• Neutral Sentiment: Settlement terms still carry execution risk. The proposal involves a substantial cash commitment and could leave future lawsuits unaffected. Its effectiveness depends on claimant participation and court-related processes. CNN settlement article
• Negative Sentiment: MedTech growth was comparatively softer. Cardiovascular performance lagged in the second quarter, although stronger Vision, Surgery and Orthopedics results and new product launches may support improvement in the second half. Zacks MedTech article
• Negative Sentiment: An executive sale is a minor sentiment headwind. EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares worth approximately $5.8 million, reducing her direct position by about half. SEC insider transaction filing

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $266.76 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $237.40. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $164.23 and a 1 year high of $274.90. The company has a market capitalization of $642.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.24.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 32.42%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.68 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.11%.

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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