Hixon Zuercher LLC Purchases 1,720 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Hixon Zuercher LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 3.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,849 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,720 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises about 2.9% of Hixon Zuercher LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Hixon Zuercher LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $8,267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,502,000 after buying an additional 6,332 shares during the period. Hudson Value Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 41,403 shares of the company's stock worth $5,648,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 13,466 shares of the company's stock worth $1,947,000 after acquiring an additional 723 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,482,000 after purchasing an additional 1,682 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE:JNJ traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $155.90. 3,482,521 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,027,945. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.41. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $169.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $153.63 and a 200 day moving average of $153.88.

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

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Benchmark upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Leerink Partnrs lowered Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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.