Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 288,137 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,751,532 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 288,137 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson accounts for about 0.6% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $508,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 237,047,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,209,060,000 after buying an additional 3,085,180 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,609,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,227,988,000 after buying an additional 1,225,676 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth about $4,877,174,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 24,637,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,568,313,000 after acquiring an additional 835,146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 18,951,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,894,979,000 after acquiring an additional 52,074 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval of TECVAYLI® plus DARZALEX FASPRO® for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma — approval was based on strong Phase 3 results showing significant improvements in progression‑free and overall survival, and J&J positions the combo as a potential new standard of care as early as second line. This materially expands the company’s oncology commercial opportunity and is the main catalyst lifting sentiment. PR Newswire: J&J FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in dividend lists / dividend‑aristocrat coverage — recent articles cite JNJ among Dividend Kings/Aristocrats, reinforcing its appeal to income and defensive investors given decades of payout growth. That supports demand from dividend‑focused funds and conservative investors. 24/7 Wall St.: Dividend Kings
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $225 to $250 but kept a “neutral” rating — the PT lift signals modest analyst upside recognition of recent catalysts, though the unchanged rating tempers near‑term conviction. Benzinga: JPMorgan price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Direct‑to‑consumer website launch — J&J rolled out a site to sell certain drugs directly to U.S. patients who are uninsured or pay out‑of‑pocket; potential to improve access and margin over time, but impact on revenue is unclear near term. Reuters: direct-to-consumer site
• Negative Sentiment: $65 million Tracleer antitrust settlement — two J&J units agreed to pay $65M to resolve a class action alleging overcharges for the pulmonary hypertension drug; materiality is modest relative to J&J’s scale but it is a headline legal expense. Reuters: Tracleer settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term price volatility / recent pullback — a few market reports noted a day‑over‑day decline ahead of the approval news; investors should be prepared for swings as the market digests launch timing, uptake and reimbursement dynamics. Zacks: recent decline

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $240.57 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $228.36 and a 200 day moving average of $204.37. The company has a market capitalization of $579.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.77, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.34. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $141.50 and a 1-year high of $251.71. 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 (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $24.28 billion for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 28.46% and a return on equity of 33.04%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $222.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.87.

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.