Waverly Advisors LLC Buys 42,556 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Waverly Advisors increased its Johnson & Johnson stake by 15.6% in the second quarter, adding 42,556 shares and bringing its holdings to 314,877 shares valued at approximately $80 million. Institutional investors collectively own 69.55% of J&J.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $274.13. J&J recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates and reaffirmed 2026 EPS guidance of $11.60–$11.75.
• J&J continues to provide a quarterly dividend of $1.34 per share, equivalent to a 2.0% yield, while insiders have recently sold $23.1 million worth of stock. Investors are also monitoring potential strategic gains from a DePuy Synthes sale and risks from a failed mid-stage depression-drug trial.

Waverly Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 15.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 314,877 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 42,556 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $79,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empirical Finance LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.4% in the second quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 85,199 shares of the company's stock worth $21,638,000 after purchasing an additional 2,764 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth $235,824,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 21,931 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,570,000 after purchasing an additional 1,497 shares in the last quarter. Range Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. Range Advisory LLC now owns 7,026 shares of the company's stock worth $1,784,000 after buying an additional 961 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 14,036 shares of the company's stock worth $3,565,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 33,597 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.74, for a total value of $9,230,439.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,447 shares in the company, valued at $6,991,308.78. This trade represents a 56.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total transaction of $4,090,926.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,994 shares in the company, valued at $4,367,458. This represents a 48.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 87,569 shares of company stock worth $23,064,544. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of several research reports. Johnson Rice restated a "buy" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $285.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $280.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Argus set a $300.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $274.13.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $266.94 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $263.17 and its 200 day moving average is $246.23. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $173.33 and a 1-year high of $281.07. 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 company has a market cap of $643.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.93, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.24.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $25.31 billion during 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 firm's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 62.11%.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Potential $20 billion DePuy Synthes sale could unlock value. Apollo Global Management is reportedly in talks to acquire J&J’s DePuy Synthes orthopedics business, which generated approximately $9.3 billion in 2025 revenue. A sale or spinoff could sharpen J&J’s focus and return capital to shareholders. Apollo and J&J Face a High-Stakes Orthopedics Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Rybrevant delivers strong lung-cancer results. J&J reported that Rybrevant plus chemotherapy produced a 34.3-month median overall survival in EGFR exon 20 insertion-positive non-small-cell lung cancer, described as the longest reported result for this population. Separate data also showed fewer treatment-related events with the Rybrevant Faspro and Lazcluze combination, supporting the oncology pipeline and potential commercial momentum. Johnson & Johnson Says Lung Cancer Drug Shows Reduced Side Effects and Longer Patient Survival
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and defensive-investment support remain favorable. TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating with a $300 price target, citing oncology momentum and the possible DePuy Synthes transaction. J&J is also being highlighted as a reliable dividend and defensive healthcare holding, which may attract investors during market volatility. J&J: Oncology Momentum and Potential $20B DePuy Synthes Divestiture Support Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are monitoring strategic and fundamental developments. Attention is focused on J&J’s ability to achieve double-digit growth while Stelara faces biosimilar competition. Recent institutional activity has been mixed, while reported insider transactions consisted entirely of sales over the past six months.
• Negative Sentiment: Clinical setback hits a partnered depression treatment. JNJ-5120, also known as PIPE-307, failed to meet the primary endpoint in the Phase 2 MOONLIGHT-1 trial for major depressive disorder. J&J is reviewing additional data, but the failure reduces confidence in this portion of its drug-development pipeline. Contineum, J&J's Depression Drug Fails to Meet Mid-Stage Trial Goal

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson NYSE: JNJ is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical and medical device products. Founded in 1886 and headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the company serves patients, healthcare professionals and institutions in markets around the world.

Johnson & Johnson operates through two primary business segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Innovative Medicine focuses on prescription treatments in areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, infectious diseases, and pulmonary hypertension.

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