AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Purchases Shares of 397,074 Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 397,074 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,237,000. Johnson & Johnson comprises 1.0% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth $37,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 183.3% during the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 43.0% during the third quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 286 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth $48,000. 68.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Johnson & Johnson news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $155.76 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $144.95 and a 1 year high of $175.97. The company has a market capitalization of $375.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $159.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.01. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The business had revenue of $21.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.35 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $4.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $167.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $163.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.31.

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.