Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Purchased by Joule Financial LLC

Joule Financial LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 4.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,391 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the quarter. Joule Financial LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,390,037,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,339,878,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 24,450.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,215,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,196,596,000 after acquiring an additional 7,185,977 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 134.5% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 7,948,508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,149,536,000 after acquiring an additional 4,559,147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 30,813,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,456,201,000 after buying an additional 3,363,235 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock opened at $155.02 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $169.99. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $153.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.68. The stock has a market cap of $372.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.65 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.88.

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.