Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 1,829,257 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,147,352 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,829,257 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 0.5% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,921,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,071,642,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,019,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,764,852,000 after buying an additional 3,391,657 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,834,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,453,978,000 after buying an additional 3,139,499 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,780,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,744,979,000 after buying an additional 1,831,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 8,014,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,171,357,000 after buying an additional 437,637 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $165.52 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $398.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $143.13 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $159.55 and its 200 day moving average is $153.94.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on JNJ shares. TD Cowen cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, September 9th. TD Securities lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Daiwa America lowered Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.