Blue Trust Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 55.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 76,342 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,308 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $11,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $151.27 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $147.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.13. The company has a market capitalization of $364.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.51. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued 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 company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim increased their price target 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. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.44.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.