Hamlin Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 15.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 982,593 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 130,305 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 4.0% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $159,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth $43,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 217.1% in the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Daiwa America cut Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,131,683.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock opened at $161.60 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $163.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.19. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $168.85. The company has a market capitalization of $388.92 billion, a PE ratio of 10.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.46%. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

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.