Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Buys 109,235 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 5.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,097,189 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 109,235 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 4.9% of Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. owned approximately 0.09% of Johnson & Johnson worth $339,870,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the second quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,007 shares of the company's stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,489 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,538,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Citizens & Northern Corp lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% in the second quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 1,884 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% in the third quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.6% in the second quarter. Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.4 %

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

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 22.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by 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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