Gradient Investments LLC Sells 33,426 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Gradient Investments LLC trimmed its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 21.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 119,405 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33,426 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $31,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,436,633,000 after buying an additional 69,108,368 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 12.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 22,588,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,736,851,000 after acquiring an additional 2,513,321 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 17,275,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,575,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,376,828 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 15,661,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,977,506,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 17.5% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 13,406,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,277,163,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001,139 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total transaction of $4,090,926.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,367,458. The trade was a 48.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.27, for a total value of $5,792,778.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,779,963.81. This trade represents a 50.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 87,569 shares of company stock worth $23,064,544. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $287.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $298.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $284.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.22.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is focused on JNJ’s upcoming third-quarter report. Zacks says the company has a strong history of earnings surprises and currently shows conditions that could support another beat. Its previous quarter exceeded consensus on both earnings and revenue, while full-year 2026 guidance was raised. Zacks earnings surprise article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain supportive: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $287 price target, and RBC Capital Markets maintained its Buy view. RBC cited accelerating Innovative Medicine sales as helping offset weakness in MedTech. RBC Capital rating article
• Positive Sentiment: JNJ reported encouraging Phase 3 results for the Tecvayli-Talvey combination in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, including substantial reductions in the relative risks of disease progression and death. The data could support broader use of the company’s oncology portfolio. Cancer treatment advances article
• Positive Sentiment: Two-year psoriasis data for oral ICOTYDE showed sustained skin clearance and consistent safety, strengthening the case for the medicine as a potential growth driver in difficult-to-treat psoriasis.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles continue to highlight JNJ’s 64-year dividend-growth record and premium valuation versus Pfizer, framing the company as a lower-yield but potentially more reliable income investment. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson dividend comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term pressure may reflect risks investors are weighing before earnings, including biosimilar competition, slower MedTech growth and ongoing talc litigation. These concerns could limit valuation expansion even if pharmaceutical sales remain strong. Johnson & Johnson dividend and risk analysis

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ traded down $3.16 during trading on Thursday, reaching $255.29. 2,654,376 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,953,149. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $184.66 and a 52 week high of $281.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $265.71 and a 200 day moving average of $248.78. The stock has a market cap of $615.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.61, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.21.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.11%.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets products through two primary business segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Its operations serve patients, healthcare professionals and consumers in markets around the world.

The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on prescription medicines in areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, infectious diseases, and pulmonary hypertension.