Hamlin Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,076,740 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 94,147 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises about 3.9% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $155,718,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.06.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE JNJ opened at $146.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $148.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $352.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.21, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22,438,500 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 71.78%.

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.