ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Purchases 2,111 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,023 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,111 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson comprises about 2.8% of ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $19,739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of JNJ. Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Capital & Planning LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 1,528 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,502,000 after acquiring an additional 6,332 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $85,886,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 131,844 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,067,000 after acquiring an additional 2,315 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of JNJ opened at $155.02 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $169.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $372.99 billion, a PE ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $153.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.68.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.65 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Leerink Partners cut Johnson & Johnson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $169.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Barclays lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $157.00 to $172.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.88.

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.

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