Essex LLC Boosts Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Essex LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 8.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,801 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,935 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for about 1.0% of Essex LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Essex LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $5,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 505,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,573,000 after purchasing an additional 15,989 shares during the last quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.6% in the first quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 3,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $965,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% in the first quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,447,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,134,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walker Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Walker Asset Management LLC now owns 3,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $765,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 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

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $262.52 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $631.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $233.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.26. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $154.21 and a twelve month high of $263.10.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on JNJ. Johnson Rice set a $270.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings cut Johnson & Johnson from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $274.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,560,551.20. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.