West Branch Capital LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

West Branch Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,400 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,866 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises 1.4% of West Branch Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. West Branch Capital LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $4,212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Lantz Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 11,974 shares of the company's stock worth $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Sulzberger Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $453,000. Horan Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 7,178 shares of the company's stock worth $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 57.9% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 205,580.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,284 shares of the company's stock worth $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 10,279 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:JNJ traded up $0.24 on Friday, reaching $156.90. The company had a trading volume of 6,587,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,963,253. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $153.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $377.52 billion, a PE ratio of 23.59, 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 (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 was Tuesday, May 27th. This is an increase 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 3.31%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented 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 stock from $157.00 to $172.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Benchmark raised Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays decreased their price target 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, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.