Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Purchases 391 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. raised its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,448 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the period. Bridgewater Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,578,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Massachusetts Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Outfitter Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Outfitter Financial LLC now owns 16,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,625,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the third quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 23,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,639,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Bfsg LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.4% during the third quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 26,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,060,000 after purchasing an additional 1,562 shares during the period. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 12.1% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 7,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of JNJ opened at $149.27 on Monday. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $143.13 and a 12-month high of $175.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $359.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $154.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.68 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date is 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 29.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America cut 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 raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.86.

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.