Franklin Resources Inc. Cuts Stake in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,137,501 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,321,924 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises approximately 0.7% of Franklin Resources Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.67% of Johnson & Johnson worth $2,992,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 203 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 707.1% in the 3rd quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $222.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $240.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total value of $324,762.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,447 shares in the company, valued at $6,251,310.02. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,700.17. This trade represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approved the combination of TECVAYLI (teclistamab‑cqyv) plus DARZALEX FASPRO for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, supported by Phase‑3 MajesTEC‑3 data showing improved progression‑free and overall survival — a meaningful commercial and clinical win that can expand J&J’s oncology revenue and shift treatment patterns earlier in the therapy line. How FDA Approval of TECVAYLI and DARZALEX FASPRO Combo At Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: EU expanded approval of Akeega to include BRCA‑mutated metastatic hormone‑sensitive prostate cancer — label expansion that can broaden addressable market in oncology and supports incremental sales in EMEA. JNJ Gets EU Nod for Expanded Use of Akeega in Prostate Cancer
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s presentation at the Barclays Global Healthcare Conference provides updated commentary on pipeline priorities and commercialization plans — useful for tracking execution but not a discrete catalyst by itself. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Presents at Barclays 28th Annual Global Healthcare Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/valuation pieces and recent share‑price momentum have revived investor attention — this could sustain trading interest but depends on execution and revenue contribution from recent approvals. Assessing Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Valuation As Recent Share Moves Revive Investor Interest
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~20.8% in February to ~25.09M shares (≈1.0% of shares), raising the short‑interest ratio to ~2.5 days — a small bearish signal that can add volatility if sentiment turns.
• Negative Sentiment: Two J&J units agreed to pay about $65M to settle a Tracleer antitrust class action — a modest cash cost relative to J&J’s size but a legal/expense item to note. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Units to Pay $65 Million in Tracleer Antitrust Class Action Settlement, Reuters Reports

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $243.75 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $587.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.06, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $141.50 and a one year high of $251.71. The business has a fifty day moving average of $229.80 and a 200 day moving average of $205.27.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.06%.

Johnson & Johnson 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.