Liberty One Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Liberty One Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 186,345 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,841 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for about 2.9% of Liberty One Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Liberty One Investment Management LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $26,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% in the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company's stock worth $17,988,000 after purchasing an additional 7,110 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company's stock worth $29,996,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company's stock worth $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 3,710 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,858,543,000 after buying an additional 102,502 shares during the period. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth approximately $69,859,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $148.10. 11,094,063 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,798,511. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85. The firm's fifty day moving average is $148.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $356.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $173.27.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.