Insider Trading February 18, 2026

Johnson & Johnson CFO Joseph Wolk Sells $21.7M in Shares, Exercises Options and Covers Taxes

The executive's transactions coincide with the company's manufacturing investment, a talc lawsuit verdict and analyst price-target increases

By Nina Shah JNJ
Johnson & Johnson CFO Joseph Wolk Sells $21.7M in Shares, Exercises Options and Covers Taxes
JNJ

Johnson & Johnson Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Joseph J. Wolk disposed of 84,654 shares on February 17, 2026, generating roughly $21.7 million. The Form 4 filing shows additional option exercises and share conversions, tax-related dispositions, and a post-transaction ownership breakdown. The transactions come amid the company’s announced cell therapy investment, a talc-related jury award, and analyst upgrades from RBC Capital and Morgan Stanley.

Key Points

  • CFO Joseph J. Wolk sold 84,654 JNJ shares on February 17, 2026, for roughly $21.7 million at prices between $242.68 and $242.99 per share.
  • Wolk exercised 66,475 shares through conversions and option exercises totaling $8.19 million, and sold 17,313 shares to cover tax obligations valued at $4.43 million.
  • Company developments concurrent with the filing include a planned $1+ billion cell therapy manufacturing investment in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a $250,000 talc-related jury award, and analyst upgrades from RBC Capital and Morgan Stanley.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Joseph J. Wolk sold 84,654 shares of the company’s common stock on February 17, 2026, according to a Form 4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The sales were executed across multiple trades at prices ranging from $242.68 to $242.99 per share, producing proceeds of approximately $21.7 million.

The filing additionally discloses that Wolk exercised options to acquire a total of 66,475 shares of Johnson & Johnson common stock. Those exercises involved the conversion of performance share units and restricted share units as well as the exercise of employee stock options. The price points associated with these awards and option exercises ranged from $0.0 to $131.94, with the combined exercise activity recorded at $8.19 million.

A separate component of the Form 4 shows that 17,313 shares were disposed of specifically to satisfy tax obligations arising from the equity transactions. Those tax-related sales occurred at prices between $243.45 and $244.55 per share and had an aggregate value of $4.43 million.

After accounting for the sales, exercises and conversions detailed in the filing, Wolk’s reported holdings are split between direct and indirect ownership. He now directly holds 38,961 shares of Johnson & Johnson common stock. Indirect holdings include 68,835 shares held through a spousal lifetime access trust and 2,173 shares held through a 401k plan, as reported in the filing.


These insider transactions arrive at a time of other notable corporate developments disclosed publicly by Johnson & Johnson. The company announced plans to invest in a new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with a stated investment of more than $1 billion. The project is expected to create about 500 biomanufacturing jobs and to support in excess of 4,000 construction jobs during build-out.

In parallel, a Philadelphia jury has found Johnson & Johnson liable in a talc-related lawsuit and ordered payment of $250,000 in damages. The award is reported as $50,000 in compensatory damages and $200,000 in punitive damages, in a case involving the death of a woman who used talc-based baby powder products.

On the analyst front, the Form 4 and company disclosures coincide with recent coverage moves. RBC Capital raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson to $255 from $240 while maintaining an Outperform rating. Separately, Morgan Stanley upgraded its rating to Overweight from Equalweight and lifted its price target to $262 from $200, citing the company’s strong market performance last year as the reason for its action.


The regulatory filing provides a detailed snapshot of the timing, pricing and structure of Wolk’s equity activity, and the broader company news highlights ongoing operational and legal developments. The Form 4 remains the primary source for the trading and ownership figures cited above.

Risks

  • Legal liability and litigation costs - A Philadelphia jury has found Johnson & Johnson liable in a talc-related case and awarded $250,000 in damages, which illustrates ongoing legal risk for the company and potential reputational impact. This primarily affects the healthcare and consumer products sectors.
  • Execution and capital allocation risks tied to large investments - The announced investment of over $1 billion in a cell therapy manufacturing facility will require successful project execution and capital deployment; it impacts the biomanufacturing and regional construction sectors and carries implementation risks.
  • Market reaction and valuation sensitivity - Significant insider sales and subsequent analyst adjustments could influence investor sentiment and share valuation in the healthcare and broader equities markets.

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