Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Buys 14,776 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 212,903 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,776 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 1.7% of Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $44,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 25,832,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,789,914,000 after buying an additional 956,239 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 24,637,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,568,313,000 after acquiring an additional 835,146 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 19,450,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,606,431,000 after acquiring an additional 532,790 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 19.3% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 13,354,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,512,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,163,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 10,137,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,879,718,000 after acquiring an additional 690,887 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.91.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $242.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $583.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.34. The business’s 50 day moving average is $237.87 and its 200-day moving average is $211.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $141.50 and a 1-year high of $251.71.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $24.28 billion during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.04% and a net margin of 28.46%. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 47.06%.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royalty Pharma agreed to provide $500 million of R&D co‑funding for JNJ‑4804, a novel co‑antibody targeting IL‑23 and TNF; the deal de‑risks development costs, validates the program and accelerates immunology exposure for J&J. Royalty Pharma and J&J partner to develop autoimmune treatment Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ-4804 Deal Adds Weight To Immunology Story
• Positive Sentiment: J&J presented first randomized Phase 2 data for JNJ‑1900 (NBTXR3) in stage‑3 inoperable lung cancer at a major conference — early positive clinical readouts support the oncology pipeline and partner collaborations. NANOBIOTIX Announces Presentation of First Data
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson MedTech shared favorable findings for the Impella CP device in left‑ventricular support at ACC, which may support near‑term MedTech revenue momentum and competitive positioning. Johnson & Johnson MedTech shares findings for Impella CP
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and a $255 price target, providing analyst backing that supports upside expectations versus current levels. RBC reaffirmation / Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets highlighted J&J as a top dividend/defensive stock and noted an upcoming dividend increase window — this bolsters demand from income and defensive investors given J&J’s low beta and long dividend history. This is Why Johnson & Johnson is a Great Dividend Stock Dividend increases coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry research forecasts growth in the non‑muscle invasive bladder cancer market and lists J&J among leading competitors — a positive long‑term market backdrop but not an immediate catalyst. Non‑Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Market report

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total transaction of $5,527,477.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.