Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. Grows Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 18,571 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9 %

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $165.23 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $150.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $397.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Leerink Partners dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.67.

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.