Independence Bank of Kentucky Sells 2,600 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Independence Bank of Kentucky reduced its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 6.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,773 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,600 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for about 1.2% of Independence Bank of Kentucky’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Independence Bank of Kentucky’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $9,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,740,362,000 after acquiring an additional 3,731,074 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,704,364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663,782 shares in the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 69,108,368 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 57,953,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,967,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,738,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $6,924,523,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on JNJ. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Johnson Rice set a $270.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total value of $2,411,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% 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. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson to $263 from $254, signaling continued support for the stock even as the firm kept a neutral rating. Benzinga report on the price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson backed a new heart failure device trial, keeping investor focus on its medtech pipeline and longer-term growth opportunities in electrophysiology and cardiovascular care. JNJ Backs New Heart Failure Device Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continued to highlight JNJ as a strong dividend and defensive healthcare name, with several notes pointing to the company’s earnings consistency and attractive income profile. TipRanks dividend aristocrat article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also looking ahead to J&J’s upcoming Q2 earnings report, with previews suggesting the company may again beat expectations, but the market is still waiting for actual results. Zacks Q2 earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: An Illinois appellate court affirmed a $45 million mesothelioma verdict against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue tied to talc-related asbestos allegations, renewing legal risk concerns that can weigh on the shares. Illinois Appellate Court Affirms $45 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $257.17 on Monday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $154.80 and a 52 week high of $269.43. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $237.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.23. 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 firm has a market cap of $619.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.24.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 61.97%.

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.