Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 69.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,368,761 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,071,786 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $283,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,502,000 after acquiring an additional 6,332 shares during the last quarter. United Bank lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,539,000 after buying an additional 4,876 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,000 after buying an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,255,000 after buying an additional 6,584 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Punitive damages of about $950 million in a talc-related case were overturned, materially reducing near‑term litigation exposure and uncertainty for JNJ. Punitive Damages Award Overturned
• Positive Sentiment: Phase 1 results for an extended‑release erdafitinib delivery system in non‑muscle‑invasive bladder cancer showed very high response rates (reportedly ~89%), supporting upside to the Innovative Medicines pipeline if later‑stage data confirm benefits. Bladder Cancer Trial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Medtech momentum: JNJ reported FDA approval for the TECNIS PureSee intraocular lens and highlighted procedure‑area advances that could add recurring, higher‑margin revenue in ophthalmology and procedures. Procedure & Vision Advances
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and analyst sentiment remains constructive: JNJ has traded above its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages for months and brokers/media pieces are highlighting it as a defensive, innovation‑led buy, supporting demand from yield‑and‑quality oriented investors. Technical/Broker Commentary
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships/pipeline expansion: a collaboration (Protagonist) was highlighted as part of JNJ’s effort to compete in immunology, which could bolster longer‑term growth prospects. Protagonist Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Market narratives and strategy pieces continue to cast JNJ as a defensive, dividend‑king stock with innovation upside — useful framing for long‑term investors but less directly catalytic than clinical or legal events.
• Negative Sentiment: Residual talc litigation remains: a $16 million talc verdict was upheld in a recent case, and media mentions of JNJ as “overvalued” could pressure sentiment if litigation headlines resume. Talc Verdict Stands

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,251,310.02. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $240.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $227.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.91.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock opened at $239.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $141.50 and a 1 year high of $251.71. The firm has a market cap of $577.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $236.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.82.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $24.28 billion for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.04% and a net margin of 28.46%. On average, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 47.06%.

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.