Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Acquired by Avantax Planning Partners Inc.

Avantax Planning Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,955 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,717 shares during the quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $7,455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MRP Capital Investments LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Syverson Strege & Co boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 1,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 14,564 shares of the company's stock worth $2,106,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. MBA Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. MBA Advisors LLC now owns 5,553 shares of the company's stock worth $921,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Sovereign Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,928 shares of the company's stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Leerink Partnrs cut Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.88.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $155.23. 6,263,851 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,052,623. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $153.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $373.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 24.42% and a return on equity of 33.46%. The business had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.65 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is 57.84%.

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.