LM Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

LM Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 54.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,245 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,311 shares during the period. LM Advisors LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Conquis Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:JNJ traded down $0.72 on Wednesday, hitting $152.53. The company had a trading volume of 8,423,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,963,089. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $154.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $153.65. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $169.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $367.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of several recent research reports. Leerink Partners downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays lowered 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 research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.