Spinoff spotlight: Johnson & Johnson

Article Excerpt

JOHNSON & JOHNSON $164 is a spinoff buy. The company (New York symbol JNJ; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 2.4 billion; Market cap: $393.6 billion; Dividend yield: 3.0%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.jnj.com) sold shares of its consumer drug business, Kenvue Inc. (New York symbol KVUE), in May 2023 to the public at $22.00 a share. It later let its own shareholders exchange JNJ shares for Kenvue shares at a 7% discount. The remaining firm develops medical devices and pharmaceuticals. In the quarter ended September 29, 2024, its revenue rose 5.2%, to $22.47 billion from $21.35 billion a year earlier. Revenue at the Innovation Medicine division (65% of the total) improved 4.9% thanks to strong sales of its oncology (cancer) drugs. Revenue at the MedTech business (35%) gained 5.8% on better demand for catheters and joint replacement products. If you exclude unusual items, Johnson & Johnson’s earnings fell 13.3%, to $5.88 billion from $6.78 billion; on fewer shares outstanding, per-share earnings declined 9.0%, to…