Handelsbanken Fonder AB Acquires 39,826 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,541,425 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 39,826 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 0.9% of Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.06% of Johnson & Johnson worth $222,921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of JNJ. Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,988,000 after acquiring an additional 7,110 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,996,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $949,000. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,667,000 after buying an additional 3,710 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,858,543,000 after buying an additional 102,502 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Leerink Partners decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.67.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $162.35 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $148.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.86. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $140.68 and a 12 month high of $168.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $390.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.41, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

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.