Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. Increases Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 100,970 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,613 shares during the quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $15,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Massachusetts Wealth Management grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 16,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,508,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 5,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $913,000 after buying an additional 1,976 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 68,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,449,000 after acquiring an additional 11,643 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 210.0% during the 3rd quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. now owns 9,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,457,000 after acquiring an additional 6,300 shares during the period. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% in the third quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 33,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,142,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ stock opened at $148.57 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $357.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $143.13 and a 1 year high of $175.97. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $153.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.00.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.68 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 29.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. HSBC upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.