Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Bought by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 134,563 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 915 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises 0.7% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $19,461,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Bay Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $220,000. Potentia Wealth acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $724,000. PKS Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $436,000. Syverson Strege & Co boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 1,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First American Trust FSB grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 6,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 2,155 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $163.43 on Tuesday. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $169.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $157.37 and its 200-day moving average is $156.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 74.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.33.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the company’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 transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.