The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted De Novo marketing authorization for Johnson & Johnson's OTTAVA Robotic Surgical System on July 22, 2026. The OTTAVA system is described as the world's first table-integrated soft-tissue robotic platform. The authorization covers procedures including gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, appendectomy, gallbladder removal, and hiatal hernia repair. Johnson & Johnson plans a targeted commercial rollout with select U.S. hospital partners.

Jim Cramer commented that the FDA approval served as a catalyst that forced investors to recognize Johnson & Johnson as a high-tech innovator. He also stated, "I've been pounding the table on Johnson & Johnson for days now," and described the company's balance sheet as "better than the United States."

Competitive landscape

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) currently dominates the robotic surgery space with its da Vinci platform, commanding a premium forward earnings multiple near 32 times due to high-margin recurring instrument sales. Other competitors include Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) with its Hugo system and Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) with its Mako platform.

77%

Of Johnson & Johnson shares are held by funds.

Fund holdings account for roughly 77% of total Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares outstanding. In Q1 2026, 113 hedge funds held positions in the company, up from 104 in the prior quarter, a change that the source highlights based on Insider Monkey data. Fisher Asset Management increased its stake by 5% sequentially, holding 9.26 million shares. Short interest stands at 1.14%.