Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stake Raised by Exchange Capital Management Inc.

Exchange Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 32.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,052 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,912 shares during the period. Exchange Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $4,071,642,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,019,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,764,852,000 after acquiring an additional 3,391,657 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 7,875.8% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,090,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $327,647,000 after acquiring an additional 2,064,175 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $193,050,000. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter valued at about $170,372,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $145.62 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $148.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $143.13 and a 12 month high of $175.97. The company has a market capitalization of $350.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 20th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday. HSBC raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.07.

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.