Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. Makes New $3.95 Million Investment in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 27,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,948,000. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 1.8% of Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. 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. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.3%

JNJ stock traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $152.95. 2,353,932 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,931,169. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $154.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.64. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $169.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $368.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. On average, analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Leerink Partnrs lowered Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Benchmark raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $157.00 to $172.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.88.

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.