Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 232,792,559 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,772,706 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for approximately 0.6% of Vanguard Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.67% of Johnson & Johnson worth $33,666,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Community Bank N.A. grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 45,821 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,627,000 after buying an additional 2,341 shares during the last quarter. Napatree Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. Napatree Capital LLC now owns 5,956 shares of the company's stock valued at $861,000 after acquiring an additional 1,388 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,919 shares of the company's stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $1,434,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 3,962,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $573,109,000 after purchasing an additional 248,601 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Argus raised Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Leerink Partners decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.33.
View Our Latest Research Report on Johnson & Johnson
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Johnson & Johnson Price Performance
Shares of NYSE JNJ traded up $0.62 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $161.64. The company had a trading volume of 7,223,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,085,292. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $169.99. The business's 50 day moving average price is $158.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.18. The stock has a market cap of $389.54 billion, a PE ratio of 24.31, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.
Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 74.59%.
Johnson & Johnson Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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