Searle & CO. Has $6.34 Million Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Searle & CO. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 40,462 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 1.7% of Searle & CO.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $6,342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 25,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,944,000 after purchasing an additional 4,131 shares during the last quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $102,000. Triumph Capital Management raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 6,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the period. Andina Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $209,000. Finally, ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of 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 assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock opened at $148.57 on Tuesday. 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 one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $175.97. The stock has a market cap of $357.56 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.68%.

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.