Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Stock: M&G PLC Cuts Holdings

M&G PLC cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 75.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,730 shares of the company’s stock after selling 39,775 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $3,373,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.5% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 22,588,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,736,851,000 after purchasing an additional 2,513,321 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 15,661,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,977,506,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,676 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 13,406,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,277,163,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001,139 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 7,872,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,924,323,000 after purchasing an additional 148,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,967,399,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 33,597 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,991,308.78. This represents a 56.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Taubert sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total transaction of $3,950,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 194,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,210,615.36. This trade represents a 7.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $280.52 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $193.07 and a 12 month high of $283.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market cap of $675.29 billion, a PE ratio of 42.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $249.23.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.38 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 31.64% and a net margin of 16.20%. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $287.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Johnson Rice downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.92.

More Johnson & Johnson News

Here’s some of the latest news about JNJ:

• Positive Sentiment: J&J reported that a second pivotal Phase 3 trial of CAPLYTA met its primary and key secondary endpoints for bipolar I mania, with symptom improvement seen as early as Day 3. The two positive trials support a planned U.S. FDA submission, adding a potential growth opportunity. Reuters article
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J shares have risen substantially in recent years, prompting questions about whether expected cash flows justify the valuation; this could limit further gains if expectations are already reflected in the stock. Separately, a State Street health-care ETF sold J&J shares while reducing all of its holdings, which does not appear to be a company-specific signal. Valuation article
• Negative Sentiment: A Massachusetts jury awarded $3.3 million, including interest, to a family in a mesothelioma case tied to J&J talc-based baby powder. The award adds to the company’s ongoing talc litigation exposure. Verdict announcement

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a global healthcare company that develops and sells prescription medicines and medical technologies. Its business is organized around two segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Innovative Medicine develops treatments in areas including oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and pulmonary hypertension. MedTech provides products and technologies for fields such as surgery, orthopedics, and vision care. Founded in 1886, Johnson & Johnson serves patients and healthcare professionals in markets around the world.