Insider Selling: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) EVP Sells $5,527,477.59 in Stock

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total value of $5,527,477.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,540,469.77. This trade represents a 45.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $242.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $583.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $141.50 and a 12 month high of $246.96. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $221.06 and a 200-day moving average of $199.04.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly 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 during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 47.06%.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Clinical and regulatory wins for oncology: J&J reported strong Phase 1b/2 data for subcutaneous amivantamab (RYBREVANT FASPRO) in head & neck cancer and has received FDA Breakthrough Therapy attention and a separate monthly‑dosing approval that can improve patient convenience and commercial uptake. These outcomes support the pharma growth story and were cited as a reason for recent buying interest. RYBREVANT clinical results
• Positive Sentiment: Potential strategic catalyst: reports say J&J is preparing a possible ~$20B sale of its orthopedics unit — a deal could unlock value, boost cash for buybacks/dividends or speed a planned separation, which traders view as a material upside catalyst if executed. Reuters on orthopedics sale
• Positive Sentiment: Capital investment and dividend support: J&J announced a $1B investment in a Pennsylvania cell‑therapy facility and recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 — both reinforce the company’s long‑term growth capacity and income appeal for dividend investors. Fox Business on $1B investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Options and sentiment flow: unusually high call buying (41,649 calls, ~45% above typical daily call volume) and amplified options chatter are increasing intraday volatility and can intensify moves without changing fundamentals — watch open interest and directional concentration. Benzinga on options trends
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive post‑earnings momentum: coverage (Zacks/TipRanks/others) notes JNJ is up since earnings as investors re‑rate pharma catalysts and dividends — helpful for sentiment but incremental vs. material corporate events. Zacks on post‑earnings move
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caveat: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target to $210 but kept a “neutral” rating — the PT sits below the current share price, signaling downside risk and giving traders a reason to trim positions. MarketScreener on Rothschild PT
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: recent sales by senior executives (disclosed Form 4s) are prompting some investor concern about near‑term profit‑taking and are adding selling pressure. SEC filing on insider sell
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: ongoing talc litigation and verdict coverage continue to create valuation uncertainty and cap multiple expansion despite operational positives. Yahoo Finance on talc risk

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Sierra Capital LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Sierra Capital LLC now owns 8,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,685,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Broadleaf Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Broadleaf Partners LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,521,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,567,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Plancorp LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,288,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on JNJ shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Argus upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $240.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.70.

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.