Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Acquired by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 208,857 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,760 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $30,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $173.27.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $145.39 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $148.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.12. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85. The firm has a market cap of $350.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22,438,500 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.