Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc Increases Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 109.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,838 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,543 shares during the quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $4,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. MRP Capital Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Syverson Strege & Co increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 1,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 2,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $742,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 14,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,106,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:JNJ opened at $154.99 on Monday. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $169.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $154.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.66. The firm has a market cap of $372.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.31, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.65 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on JNJ. Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $157.00 to $172.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Bank of America cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Eleven research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.88.

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.