Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Position Raised by Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC

Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.6% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 14,468 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter valued at $31,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at $43,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 528.6% in 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 during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $164.41 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $157.57 and a 200-day moving average of $153.83. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $143.13 and a twelve month high of $168.85. The firm has a market cap of $395.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.52.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday. TD Securities reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Daiwa America cut Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.