Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 190,238 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 19,136 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 0.4% of Empowered Funds LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $27,512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $156.18 on Wednesday. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The company has a market capitalization of $376.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $147.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.04.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 74.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Leerink Partners lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.