Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Bought by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 15.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,526,930 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 338,839 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for approximately 2.0% of Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned about 0.10% of Johnson & Johnson worth $385,989,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the first quarter valued at about $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 stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Pandora Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth approximately $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $203.88 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $206.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $491.21 billion, a PE ratio of 19.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $171.55.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 50.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total transaction of $10,041,108.51. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 178,013 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $190.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $167.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.05.

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.