Lazard Asset Management LLC Boosts Position in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 44.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,302,952 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 398,406 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $318,494,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Family CFO Inc bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $263.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $282.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Freedom Capital raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Leerink Partners upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.30.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted that JNJ raised its outlook, with guidance upgrades adding to investor confidence after the company’s recent earnings beat. Q2 Earnings: Guidance Upgrades Push These 3 Stocks Higher
• Positive Sentiment: JNJ’s Innovative Medicine unit reported strong Q2 growth, helping show resilience even after Stelara patent loss and suggesting momentum can continue into the second half of 2026. J&J’s Innovative Medicine Unit Proves Its Resilience in Q2
• Positive Sentiment: Positive topline Phase 3 data for TECVAYLI and TALVEY showed large reductions in disease progression and death risk in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, strengthening JNJ’s oncology pipeline. TECVAYLI® + TALVEY® reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 89% and the risk of death by 62% in earlier-line relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma
• Positive Sentiment: JNJ also received FDA De Novo authorization for its OTTAVA robotic surgical system, expanding its competitiveness in soft-tissue robotic surgery and broadening a potentially important growth platform. Should FDA’s De Novo Nod for OTTAVA Robotic System Require Action From Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Investors?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed JNJ as a defensive dividend stock and a steady healthcare holding, which reinforces its safe-haven appeal but is less likely to move the shares on its own. 3 Dividend Stocks Baby Boomers Should Own for the Rest of Their Lives
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on JNJ’s steadiness during market volatility and ETF exposure after earnings mainly reflects investor interest in the stock rather than a new fundamental change. ETFs to Buy Post JNJ’s Q2 Earnings Beat & Bullish 2026 Outlook

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $263.43 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $164.23 and a 52-week high of $269.43. The company has a fifty day moving average of $242.71 and a 200-day moving average of $236.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $634.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.24.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 32.42%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.68 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 62.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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.