Inspire Trust Co. N.A. Grows Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 12.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 24,063 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,610 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises 1.1% of Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $3,900,000 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 business. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $40,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $146.23 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $157.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.28. The stock has a market cap of $352.07 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $143.13 and a 12 month high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on JNJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.73.

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.