Legal & General Group Plc Lowers Stock Holdings in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Legal & General Group Plc reduced its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.3% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 19,286,904 shares of the company’s stock after selling 60,958 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up 1.0% of Legal & General Group Plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $4,898,295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Johnson Rice reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $272.83.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $275.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $663.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $245.07. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $173.33 and a one year high of $281.07. 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 (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 32.42%. The business had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 62.11%.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains supportive. JNJ received an upgrade that helped it reach a new 12-month high, while the broader analyst view is rated “Moderate Buy.” UBS also began coverage, potentially increasing institutional attention. Johnson & Johnson Reaches New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade Johnson & Johnson Receives Average Rating of Moderate Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson’s 64-year record of dividend growth remains a key support for income-oriented investors. Strong profitability and the company’s diversified healthcare portfolio help sustain the dividend despite competitive pressure on a major drug. Johnson & Johnson Is Boring Which Makes Its Dividend Nearly Perfect
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will discuss the business at the Deutsche Bank Healthcare Summit on September 17. The event could provide updates on pharmaceuticals, litigation and forward guidance, but it is not itself a change to earnings expectations. Johnson & Johnson to Participate in the Deutsche Bank 2026 Healthcare Summit
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and valuation risk are elevated after JNJ gained about 60% over the past year versus roughly 21% for the S&P 500. Analysts question whether the current price already discounts growth above management’s near-term outlook. Was JNJ Stock Rally Actually Its Own? Is Johnson & Johnson Stock Priced For More Growth Than It Has Guided?
• Negative Sentiment: An executive vice president sold 33,597 shares worth approximately $9.2 million, reducing his holdings by 56.9%. The sale may reinforce short-term concerns about insider conviction, although it does not change JNJ’s fundamentals. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst lowered the FY2026 EPS forecast, adding pressure to expectations. Talc litigation also remains unresolved despite a proposed path toward settlement, while the Louisiana verdict continues to focus attention on legal liability and potential costs. Johnson & Johnson dividend and competition analysis

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Jennifer Taubert sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total transaction of $3,950,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 194,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. This represents a 7.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total value of $4,090,926.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,367,458. The trade was a 48.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 97,569 shares of company stock valued at $25,476,044. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.