Balentine LLC Acquires 3,345 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Balentine LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 76.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,748 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,345 shares during the period. Balentine LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter worth about $765,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,166,000. Argent Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.2% in the first quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 15,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,447,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 15,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,392,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 140.0% during the 1st quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 25,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,986,000 after buying an additional 14,700 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $158.35 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $381.25 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $143.13 and a 52-week high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 71.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Daiwa America lowered Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Securities lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.93.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.