Global Assets Advisory LLC Boosts Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Global Assets Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 187.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,735 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 12,866 shares during the period. Global Assets Advisory LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock traded up $0.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $152.44. The company had a trading volume of 9,999,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,019,610. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $153.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.69. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99. The stock has a market cap of $366.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.46% and a net margin of 24.42%. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.41%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 57.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on JNJ. Bank of America lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Leerink Partners lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.