Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Acquires 88,849 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 3.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,579,528 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 88,849 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Johnson & Johnson worth $408,055,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of JNJ. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 183.3% in the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 43.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 286 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Johnson & Johnson news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ traded up $6.57 on Wednesday, reaching $151.16. 14,471,441 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,466,313. The firm has a market cap of $364.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $154.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.16. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $143.13 and a fifty-two week high of $175.97.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.43% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.68 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.28%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Raymond James raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.

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