Fifth Third Bancorp Purchases 804,298 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 69.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,969,767 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 804,298 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 0.9% of Fifth Third Bancorp's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Fifth Third Bancorp owned about 0.08% of Johnson & Johnson worth $481,490,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% in the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Family CFO Inc bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $261.26.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,560,551.20. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $257.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $620.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.24. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $154.80 and a 52 week high of $269.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $237.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The business's revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.77 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) to $287 from $265 and kept an outperform rating, implying additional upside as investors look ahead to earnings. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Several market watchers highlighted JNJ as a potential buy before earnings, pointing to its strong year-to-date move, recent all-time highs, and the appeal of its dividend as capital rotates into healthcare names. The Real Case for Buying Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Before July 15
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and stock commentary remain focused on JNJ’s upcoming quarterly results, with expectations centered on continued operational strength despite patent and competitive headwinds. Zacks: Is JNJ Stock a Buy, Sell or Hold Ahead of Q2 Earnings Release?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market weakness weighed on Wall Street Monday, which could limit gains even for defensive names like JNJ. NASDAQ Snaps 3-Day Winning Streak as Oil Jumps Amid US-Iran Tensions
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews from Zacks, TipRanks, and Barron’s kept Johnson & Johnson in focus, but these pieces were mainly commentary ahead of the report rather than new company-specific catalysts. Zacks: Is Johnson & Johnson Stock Poised for New Highs as Q2 Results Approach?

Johnson & Johnson Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and previously consumer health. Founded in 1886 by the Johnson family, the company has grown into a global healthcare organization with operations and sales in many countries around the world.

The company's pharmaceuticals business, organized largely under its Janssen research and development organization, focuses on prescription medicines across therapeutic areas such as immunology, infectious disease, oncology and neuroscience.

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