Gradient Investments LLC Reduces Holdings in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Gradient Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 33.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 151,862 shares of the company’s stock after selling 75,687 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $31,428,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth approximately $4,877,174,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 15,040.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,420,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,512,000 after acquiring an additional 7,371,687 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 545.6% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,865,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $716,657,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266,354 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.3% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 13,354,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,512,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,163,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 126.3% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,584,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $664,575,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000,609 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Phase 1 intravesical delivery of erdafitinib in non?muscle invasive bladder cancer reported high (?89%) response rates and durable complete responses with a favorable safety profile — a meaningful clinical readout that could expand J&J’s oncology opportunity if confirmed in later trials. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Advances Bladder Cancer Treatment with 89% Response Rate
• Positive Sentiment: FDA cleared the TECNIS PureSee intraocular lens (extended depth?of?focus option) — expands J&J’s cataract/vision portfolio and supports procedure revenue growth in ophthalmology. Device approvals tend to drive steady, low?volatility revenue additions. Johnson & Johnson Targets Procedure Growth With Bladder Cancer And Vision Advances
• Positive Sentiment: Company is pursuing oncology expansion with new trials and delivery technologies, underscoring management’s focus on growing the oncology franchise over time. This supports longer?term sales and pipeline value. Johnson And Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Targets Oncology Growth Through New Trial Russell 1000
• Positive Sentiment: Collaboration/clinical partnering moves (e.g., work with Protagonist) aim to broaden immunology/dermatology and compete with established products like Skyrizi — potential upside if programs advance. Protagonist Partners With Johnson & Johnson To Compete With AbbVie’s Skyrizi
• Neutral Sentiment: Technically, JNJ has traded above its 50? and 200?day moving averages for months, which many investors view as bullish momentum — may support demand absent new negatives. J&J Stock Trading Above 200- & 50-Day SMA for 8 Months: Time to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/ broker commentary and ratings pieces are circulating; these can influence intraday flows but don’t change fundamentals unless accompanied by guidance or material news. Brokers Suggest Investing in Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): Read This Before Placing a Bet
• Neutral Sentiment: Former J&J oncology executive Craig Tendler moving to TuHURA is being reported; as he is already a former head, immediate operational impact at J&J appears limited. Craig Tendler, M.D., JNJ’s Former Global Head of Oncology Clinical Development, to Lead TuHURA Bioscience’s VISTA Program in AML and other Blood Related Cancers
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pieces also flag ongoing patent and legal risks (historical and potential future litigation) that remain a valuation overhang and could spur downside if developments accelerate. J&J Stock Trading Above 200- & 50-Day SMA for 8 Months: Time to Buy?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $222.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.91.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total value of $5,527,477.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528 over the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.2%

JNJ opened at $235.03 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $141.50 and a 12 month high of $251.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $566.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $236.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.61.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

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