Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Position Lifted by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 5.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 111,097 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,742 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $16,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meridian Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth approximately $1,626,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 26.3% in the first quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,000 after acquiring an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 9,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,428,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the first quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC now owns 47,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,464,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 8.8% in the first quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,044,000 after acquiring an additional 2,151 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $164.82 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $168.85. The stock has a market cap of $396.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $161.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.17.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The company had revenue of $22.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 30.92%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. TD Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.21.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.