Conning Inc. Purchases 15,180 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Conning Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 229,267 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,180 shares during the period. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $33,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 71,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,356,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Northstar Group Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Northstar Group Inc. now owns 42,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,147,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares during the last quarter. Capital Management Associates Inc raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Management Associates Inc now owns 9,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,310,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $608,000. Finally, Centerline Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.67.

Insider Activity

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

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $154.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $371.31 billion, a PE ratio of 23.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $140.68 and a 12 month high of $168.85. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $147.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.35% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.