Optas LLC Purchases 2,153 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Optas LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 31.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,037 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,153 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,436,633,000 after buying an additional 69,108,368 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $6,924,523,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $2,005,942,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 24,436.5% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,473,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,338,000 after purchasing an additional 4,454,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,740,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731,074 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Members of Congress have been buying J&J shares, which can signal confidence in the company’s prospects and may attract attention from retail investors. Members of Congress Are Loading Up on Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth. Here’s Why Retail Investors Should Pay Attention.
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson launched its Dual-Energy THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF cardiac ablation platform in Europe, adding a commercial growth catalyst in its medtech business. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Launches Dual-Energy Cardiac Ablation Catheter in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: J&J is being highlighted as a top dividend and defensive healthcare name, with articles pointing to its reliable cash flow, dividend profile, and long-term appeal. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): Focused on Cancer and Neuroscience as a Top Dividend Aristocrat Stock to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Recent updates say J&J is strengthening its cancer pipeline, including European progress for Tecvayli in combination with Darzalex and an acquisition of Firefly Bio to expand oncology research. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Expands Cancer Pipeline As Talc Verdict Eases One Risk
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces reiterated bullish Wall Street views and compared J&J favorably with AbbVie, supporting the stock’s valuation narrative but not adding a major new catalyst. Is It Worth Investing in Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Based on Wall Street’s Bullish Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J was also featured in dividend-income and portfolio articles, which helps reinforce its reputation as a stable income stock, though these pieces are unlikely to move shares much on their own. J&J or AbbVie: Which Stock Deserves a Place in Your Portfolio Now?
• Negative Sentiment: No major negative company-specific headline stood out in the latest set of articles; the closest risk item is that ongoing litigation remains a background concern, even as one recent talc verdict went J&J’s way. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Expands Cancer Pipeline As Talc Verdict Eases One Risk

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.70.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ opened at $262.52 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $233.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.37. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $154.21 and a twelve month high of $263.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $631.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.24.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The company had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.60 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 26th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 61.97%.

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.