Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Position Boosted by Counterweight Ventures LLC

Counterweight Ventures LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 16.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,603 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 225 shares during the quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter worth $765,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 101,237 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,015,000 after purchasing an additional 32,244 shares during the period. Payden & Rygel Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter valued at about $14,379,000. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.9% during the first quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 48,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,623,000 after buying an additional 3,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 9.7% during the first quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 17,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,804,000 after acquiring an additional 1,562 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $152.97 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $160.83 and a 200-day moving average of $156.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $368.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.53. 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 has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.66 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This represents a 22.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on JNJ. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Daiwa America cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.