Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Bought by First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 95,515 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,701 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson accounts for about 2.8% of First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $13,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFS Advisors LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.67.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ stock opened at $157.24 on Friday. 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 market capitalization of $378.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $168.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $147.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.00.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors 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 3.15%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Johnson & Johnson 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.