In its latest SEC filing for Q3, Banyan Capital Management Inc. initiated a position in Johnson & Johnson, acquiring 3,853 shares valued at approximately $714,000. This stake now represents roughly 0.3% of Banyan’s total assets and ranks as its 22nd largest holding. The addition underscores growing hedge fund interest in J&J’s defensive healthcare profile, arriving alongside major moves by Norges Bank, which purchased a new $4.88 billion stake in Q2, and Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC, which increased its J&J holding by over 15,000% to 7.42 million shares valued at $1.13 billion.

Overall, institutional investors hold 69.6% of J&J’s equity, with Vanguard Group Inc. topping the list at 237.0 million shares worth more than $36.2 billion after a 1.3% increase in Q2. Geode Capital Management LLC and Legal & General Group Plc also expanded their stakes by 2.1% and 6.2%, respectively, reflecting steady inflows from passive and active asset managers. Townsquare Capital LLC, by contrast, trimmed its position by 17.2%, selling 9,801 shares worth $8.75 million, yet still maintains J&J as its 13th largest holding.

European regulators’ Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a positive opinion on AKEEGA (niraparib + abiraterone) for BRCA1/2-mutant metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, potentially unlocking a new oncology revenue stream. Concurrently, a U.S. district court dismissed a fraud lawsuit related to J&J’s talc bankruptcy strategy, removing a near-term legal overhang. While legal commentators caution that broader talc litigation persists, these outcomes have eased liability concerns and contributed to a more favorable risk profile.

Several brokerages have raised their targets and ratings in recent weeks: Daiwa Capital Markets reiterated an Outperform rating with a $237 target, Morgan Stanley upgraded J&J on stronger growth projections, and Scotiabank boosted its target to $265 following solid Q4 results. J&J reported Q4 revenue of $24.56 billion—a 9.1% year-over-year increase—and EPS of $2.46, in line with consensus. Management set FY 2026 EPS guidance at a range of 11.430–11.630, with sell-side forecasts averaging 10.58 EPS for the current year, underpinning analysts’ bullish stance.