Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Acquired by Treasurer of the State of North Carolina

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,155,604 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 47,720 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises approximately 0.7% of Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $167,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Scotia Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 1,302,393 shares of the company's stock valued at $188,374,000 after acquiring an additional 88,196 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. F M Investments LLC now owns 105,437 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,248,000 after purchasing an additional 13,571 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 935,946 shares of the company's stock worth $135,356,000 after purchasing an additional 149,592 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 383.7% in the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 38,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,527,000 after purchasing an additional 30,314 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $1.82 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $153.55. The stock had a trading volume of 4,211,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,939,132. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $169.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $159.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.17.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on JNJ. Raymond James lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $157.00 to $172.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.50.

Johnson & Johnson 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.