Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Purchases 143,034 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 10,455.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 144,402 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 143,034 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $20,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Liberty Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 26,449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,825,000 after buying an additional 1,144 shares during the period. Austin Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Austin Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at about $759,000. Finally, Summit X LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $745,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Raymond James cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.33.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $162.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $154.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $392.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 74.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

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.