Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Holdings in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 237,047,859 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,085,180 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson accounts for approximately 0.6% of Vanguard Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Johnson & Johnson worth $36,209,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. now owns 7,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,206,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% in the second quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the second quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 8,559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,307,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,013,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 636 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total value of $10,041,108.51. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 178,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,652,491.53. This represents a 24.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.05.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.8%

JNJ opened at $199.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $140.68 and a one year high of $200.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $480.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $186.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $170.46.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 30th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.73% and a net margin of 27.26%.The company had revenue of $24.02 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 50.19%.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.