Brandes Investment Partners LP Purchases 8,502 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 410,765 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,502 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $62,745,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of JNJ. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the second quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. now owns 7,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,206,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 7,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 8,559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,307,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Cypress Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,013,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $205.49 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $191.96 and a 200-day moving average of $174.12. The company has a market capitalization of $495.07 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.07. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $207.81.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter. On average, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total value of $10,041,108.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 178,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,652,491.53. This represents a 24.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on JNJ shares. HSBC boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Loop Capital set a $190.00 target price on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $213.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Four investment 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 company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.