Versant Capital Management Inc Increases Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 27.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,678 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,019 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Trust Co of the South raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 9,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,399,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. SK Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $234,000. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,414,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at $69,859,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 17.5% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $876,000 after acquiring an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.73.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:JNJ opened at $144.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $142.75 and a twelve month high of $168.85. The company has a market cap of $346.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50 day moving average is $152.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.23.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.78%.

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.