31,036 Shares in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Purchased by RIA Advisory Group LLC

RIA Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 31,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,030,000. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 1.8% of RIA Advisory Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,834,359 shares of the company's stock worth $3,453,978,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139,499 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.8% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,780,645 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,744,979,000 after acquiring an additional 1,831,751 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.5% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,374,397 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,100,427,000 after purchasing an additional 754,200 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 16.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,147,352 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,921,565,000 after purchasing an additional 1,829,257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 8,014,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,171,357,000 after purchasing an additional 437,637 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JNJ traded up $2.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $154.00. 11,328,515 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,017,128. The company has a market cap of $370.77 billion, a PE ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $161.35 and a 200 day moving average of $156.02. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $143.13 and a 52-week high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.94.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This represents a 22.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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