First Trust Advisors LP Raises Holdings in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,237,261 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 148,223 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.09% of Johnson & Johnson worth $414,833,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth about $4,877,174,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 15,040.6% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,420,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,512,000 after acquiring an additional 7,371,687 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 237,047,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,209,060,000 after acquiring an additional 3,085,180 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,609,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,227,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.2% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 18,917,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,889,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097,855 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $201.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $262.00 target price on Johnson & Johnson and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.87.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $240.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $579.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.77, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.34. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $141.50 and a 1 year high of $251.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $228.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $204.01.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 47.06%.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval of TECVAYLI® plus DARZALEX FASPRO® for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma — approval was based on strong Phase 3 results showing significant improvements in progression‑free and overall survival, and J&J positions the combo as a potential new standard of care as early as second line. This materially expands the company’s oncology commercial opportunity and is the main catalyst lifting sentiment. PR Newswire: J&J FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in dividend lists / dividend‑aristocrat coverage — recent articles cite JNJ among Dividend Kings/Aristocrats, reinforcing its appeal to income and defensive investors given decades of payout growth. That supports demand from dividend‑focused funds and conservative investors. 24/7 Wall St.: Dividend Kings
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $225 to $250 but kept a “neutral” rating — the PT lift signals modest analyst upside recognition of recent catalysts, though the unchanged rating tempers near‑term conviction. Benzinga: JPMorgan price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Direct‑to‑consumer website launch — J&J rolled out a site to sell certain drugs directly to U.S. patients who are uninsured or pay out‑of‑pocket; potential to improve access and margin over time, but impact on revenue is unclear near term. Reuters: direct-to-consumer site
• Negative Sentiment: $65 million Tracleer antitrust settlement — two J&J units agreed to pay $65M to resolve a class action alleging overcharges for the pulmonary hypertension drug; materiality is modest relative to J&J’s scale but it is a headline legal expense. Reuters: Tracleer settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term price volatility / recent pullback — a few market reports noted a day‑over‑day decline ahead of the approval news; investors should be prepared for swings as the market digests launch timing, uptake and reimbursement dynamics. Zacks: recent decline

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.