Two Sigma Advisers LP Buys 61,493 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 48.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 189,343 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 61,493 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $27,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 1,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 2,080 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the company's stock worth $742,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 14,564 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,106,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $153.58 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $155.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $369.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. Sell-side analysts expect 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. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.84%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Leerink Partnrs downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America lowered their target price 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. Finally, Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $170.88.

Johnson & Johnson 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.

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