Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Acquired by ARS Investment Partners LLC

ARS Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,420 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,270 shares during the quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $7,549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth approximately $47,000. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Pandora Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the first quarter worth approximately $65,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $200.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $482.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.38. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $200.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $186.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $170.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 30th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 27.26% and a return on equity of 32.73%. The company had revenue of $24.02 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Guggenheim raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $167.00 to $206.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $190.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised Johnson & Johnson from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $203.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total transaction of $10,041,108.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 178,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,652,491.53. This trade represents a 24.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company 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.