Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Holdings Increased by Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 62,566 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson comprises approximately 2.7% of Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $9,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 183.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 43.0% during the third quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 286 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:JNJ opened at $144.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $155.74. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.39 and a one year high of $175.97. The company has a market capitalization of $348.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on JNJ. Bank of America cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.36.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.