Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Holdings Lifted by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 580,564 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,620 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for about 1.0% of Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $83,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 30,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,449,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 950,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,517,000 after buying an additional 19,500 shares during the period. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 145.4% during the 4th quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 16,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,428,000 after buying an additional 9,990 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 328,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,515,000 after acquiring an additional 2,743 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC now owns 70,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,228,000 after acquiring an additional 3,120 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ opened at $165.23 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $397.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.85, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $150.90 and a 200-day moving average of $156.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 74.59%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Citigroup cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.67.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.