American Century Companies Inc. Decreases Stake in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 33.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,481,285 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,260,510 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up approximately 0.4% of American Century Companies Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $830,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at about $4,877,174,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 15,040.6% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,420,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,512,000 after purchasing an additional 7,371,687 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 237,047,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,209,060,000 after purchasing an additional 3,085,180 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,609,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,227,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,676 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 18,917,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,889,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097,855 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $201.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.70.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ stock opened at $248.81 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $224.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $201.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $141.50 and a 12-month high of $248.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $599.60 billion, a PE ratio of 22.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.35.

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 firm had revenue of $24.28 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

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

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Early clinical data: Preliminary Phase 1b results for pasritamig (JNJ‑78278343) combined with docetaxel showed deep PSA responses, a safety profile consistent with docetaxel alone, and plans to advance into Phase 3 — a clear pipeline positive if confirmed. Early study results from Johnson & Johnson show promising antitumor activity with combination of pasritamig and docetaxel in advanced prostate cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress & R&D headlines are reinforcing investor confidence in growth beyond legacy products — additional coverage highlights antitumor activity and R&D milestones, supporting longer-term revenue upside. Early study results from Johnson & Johnson show promising antitumor activity with combination of pasritamig and docetaxel in advanced prostate cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and technicals: Analysts and commentary note JNJ is up ~38% over six months and has traded consistently above its 50- and 200-day SMAs — this supports momentum-driven buying and ETF/quant inflows. J&J Stock Up 38% in 6 Months: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive appeal: Published investor pieces emphasize JNJ’s diversified healthcare exposure and reliable dividend, making it attractive in risk-off environments — supporting demand as markets wobble. 2 Reasons I’d Happily Hold Johnson & Johnson Through Any Market Crash
• Neutral Sentiment: Market outperformance note: Coverage flagged that JNJ advanced while the broader market declined today — helpful context for flows but not a fundamental driver by itself. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation risk resurfacing: A Philadelphia jury ordered damages in a talc-related ovarian cancer case — the first plaintiff win since litigation recommenced — reviving product-liability exposure after prior bankruptcy strategies were curtailed. This increases headline and reserve risk. Johnson And Johnson Faces Fresh Talc Verdict As Pipeline Story Evolves
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory / competitor legal pressure: Bayer has filed a separate lawsuit related to marketing practices for a prostate cancer drug — adds uncertainty and potential costs. Johnson And Johnson Faces Fresh Talc Verdict As Pipeline Story Evolves

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total transaction of $324,762.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,251,310.02. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.