Novem Group Invests $1.20 Million in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Novem Group bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,196,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Sulzberger Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $453,000. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $949,000. Horan Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 7,178 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 57.9% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 205,580.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,487,000 after buying an additional 10,279 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $153.58 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $369.52 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average is $155.87 and its 200-day moving average is $153.80. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $169.99.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on JNJ. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Benchmark raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.