Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Raises Stake in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 55.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,617 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,720 shares during the period. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,436,633,000 after purchasing an additional 69,108,368 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth $6,924,523,000. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth $2,005,942,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 24,436.5% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,473,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,338,000 after buying an additional 4,454,778 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,740,362,000 after buying an additional 3,731,074 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson was highlighted as one of the best dividend aristocrat names for steady cash flow, reinforcing its appeal to income-focused investors. 3 ‘Strong Buy’ Dividend Aristocrat Stocks for Steady Cash Flow, 7/21/26
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s Q2 results were described as robust, with earnings and sales both beating estimates and management raising its 2026 outlook, which supports the bullish case for the stock. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold J&J’s Stock Post a Robust Q2 Performance?
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson was also noted as trading near 52-week highs while broader market attention has shifted away from AI names, suggesting investors are rotating into defensive large-cap healthcare stocks. 5 Stocks Quietly Trading Near All-Time Highs While Everyone Watches the AI Drama (JNJ)
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article compared JNJ with Abbott Laboratories, saying the two healthcare giants are moving in different strategic directions as J&J trims its portfolio while Abbott expands into cancer diagnostics. This is more of a strategy-watch item than an immediate catalyst. Johnson & Johnson vs Abbott Laboratories: Two Healthcare Giants on Opposite Trajectories
• Neutral Sentiment: DelveInsight noted that J&J’s Amivantamab is expected to help drive growth in the head and neck cancer market, underscoring pipeline potential, but the article focused on the broader market rather than a near-term company-specific event. Correction: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Market is Projected to Boost at a CAGR of 10.5% During the Forecast Period (2026–2036) Due to the Launch of Emerging Novel Immunotherapies | DelveInsight
• Negative Sentiment: One commentary on JNJ raised the familiar risks of patent losses and MedTech challenges, which could limit upside if pipeline execution slows or competition intensifies. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold J&J’s Stock Post a Robust Q2 Performance?

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total value of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,560,551.20. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $250.68 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $603.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.24. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $164.23 and a 1-year high of $269.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $240.90 and a 200-day moving average of $235.42.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly 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 the consensus estimate of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.86% and a net margin of 21.48%.Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.68 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on JNJ. HSBC set a $290.00 target price on Johnson & Johnson and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $263.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.30.

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.