Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Acquired by Prospera Financial Services Inc

Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 17.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 110,265 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,428 shares during the quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $17,881,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter valued at about $765,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 101,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,015,000 after purchasing an additional 32,244 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Paragon Capital Management LLC now owns 33,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,358,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. PYA Waltman Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. PYA Waltman Capital LLC now owns 37,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,912,000 after buying an additional 2,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Partners LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 147.7% in the 1st quarter. Hilltop Partners LLC now owns 8,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,378,000 after buying an additional 5,195 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This represents a 22.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $154.77 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $143.13 and a 1 year high of $168.85. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $161.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.16. The company has a market cap of $372.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.