Liberty Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Liberty Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 680.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,396 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,296 shares during the period. Liberty Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,396,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 528.6% in the fourth 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 institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on JNJ. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. StockNews.com cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock opened at $167.38 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $158.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.85. The company has a market capitalization of $402.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $143.13 and a twelve month high of $168.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

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

About Johnson & Johnson

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.