Foster & Motley Inc. Boosts Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Key Points

• Foster & Motley Inc. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.4%, acquiring an additional 1,598 shares, bringing their total holdings to 48,387 shares valued at approximately $8 million.
• Several large investors, including GAMMA Investing LLC and Bank of New York Mellon Corp, have significantly increased their positions in Johnson & Johnson, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Johnson & Johnson reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.77, surpassing analyst expectations, and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share with a 3.09% yield.

Foster & Motley Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 48,387 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,598 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $8,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lantz Financial LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% during the first quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 11,974 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Sulzberger Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $453,000. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the first quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 74,132 shares of the company's stock worth $12,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,526 shares during the period. State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 205,580.0% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,284 shares of the company's stock worth $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 10,279 shares during the period. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 18.9% during the first quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 15,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,635,000 after acquiring an additional 2,529 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of JNJ traded down $2.50 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $164.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,876,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,007,298. The company's 50 day moving average is $157.18 and its 200 day moving average is $156.44. The stock has a market cap of $396.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $169.99.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.09. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.49% and a net margin of 25.00%. The business had revenue of $23.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.82 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 26th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 55.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $167.00 price target (up from $164.00) on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.50.

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.