RWC Asset Management LLP Increases Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

RWC Asset Management LLP lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 38.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 326,297 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 89,969 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 2.4% of RWC Asset Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. RWC Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $47,189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased 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 directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 2.0 %

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $162.75 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $150.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $155.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $391.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 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 company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.