Stack Financial Management Inc Boosts Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Stack Financial Management Inc increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 113,279 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 516 shares during the quarter. Stack Financial Management Inc’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $16,382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 117,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,999,000 after purchasing an additional 18,554 shares during the period. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $392,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 32,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,665,000 after buying an additional 1,873 shares during the period. RWC Asset Management LLP lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 326,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,189,000 after buying an additional 89,969 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Genesis Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $2,550,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $163.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $150.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $394.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.62, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced 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 return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on JNJ. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Leerink Partners decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Nine 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. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.67.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.