Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC Makes New Investment in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $926,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $153.25. The stock had a trading volume of 6,979,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,961,247. The firm has a market cap of $368.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.05, a PEG 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 has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $169.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $155.05 and a 200-day moving average of $153.65.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This is a boost 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 3.39%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is 57.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. 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. Leerink Partnrs cut 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 note on Wednesday, April 16th. Barclays lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective 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 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.