Gries Financial LLC Raises Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Gries Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 237.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,266 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,972 shares during the quarter. Gries Financial LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $3,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the first quarter worth about $31,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth about $43,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 528.6% during the 4th quarter. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. now owns 308 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.4 %

JNJ stock opened at $164.99 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $157.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $143.13 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The firm has a market cap of $397.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.29, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Daiwa America lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson 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.