Rakuten Securities Inc. Makes New Investment in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC now owns 5,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $808,000 after buying an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Guidance Point Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Guidance Point Advisors LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,764,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 37,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,857,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 21.5% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 1,109,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,910,000 after purchasing an additional 196,065 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on JNJ shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Wednesday, April 17th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.86.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were 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 owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $149.12 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $155.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.57. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $143.13 and a fifty-two week high of $175.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $359.35 billion, a PE ratio of 9.30, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.43%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.