Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Purchased by WealthTrust Axiom LLC

WealthTrust Axiom LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 20,016 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for approximately 1.0% of WealthTrust Axiom LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. WealthTrust Axiom LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $3,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in JNJ. Certuity LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 63.9% during the fourth quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 13,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,091,000 after acquiring an additional 5,198 shares in the last quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC now owns 7,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 26,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,219,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Ledyard National Bank increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 58,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,134,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 589,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,401,000 after buying an additional 35,921 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $149.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $359.25 billion, a PE ratio of 9.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $143.13 and a 1-year high of $175.97. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $154.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.02.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 29.68%.

Johnson & Johnson 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.