Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stake Raised by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,773,493 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 636,430 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 0.5% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.61% of Johnson & Johnson worth $2,136,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,472,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $562,723,000 after buying an additional 329,473 shares during the last quarter. Invst LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 394.0% during the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,668,000 after buying an additional 8,207 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Passumpsic Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth about $262,000. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 50,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,180,000 after purchasing an additional 4,640 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $157.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.03. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $169.99. The stock has a market cap of $379.37 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The business had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.65 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Argus raised Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday. Leerink Partners dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of Johnson & Johnson 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on 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. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.