These 5 Companies Own 491 Million Shares of Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky. Image source: Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson's 129 years of success has made its stock a favorite among money managers and investors. Its top five shareholders control $49.7 billion worth of its outstanding common stock, equating to an ownership interest of 17.7%.

That may seem like a substantial stake, and it is, but it's still roughly equivalent on a percentage basis to the concentration of ownership atop other leading companies. American Express and Yum! Brands serve as cases in point:

American Express' five biggest shareholders control 17.9% of the credit card issuer's outstanding stock. That equates to $13.4 billion worth of American Express shares.
Yum Brands' five biggest stockholders own 19.9% of its stock. The total dollar value of their stakes translates into $7.2 billion worth of Yum Brands shares.

So, who are Johnson & Johnson's five biggest shareholders? You can find the answer to this question in the brief slideshow below.

Data in the slideshow as well as the ownership data about American Express and Yum Brands were sourced from Yahoo! Finance on Nov. 17, 2015. Slideshow image source: Johnson & Johnson.

The article These 5 Companies Own 491 Million Shares of Johnson & Johnson originally appeared on Fool.com.

John Maxfield has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends American Express and Johnson & Johnson. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.