Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Purchases 11,619 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 64,944 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,619 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up approximately 0.8% of Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $12,042,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 237,047,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,209,060,000 after buying an additional 3,085,180 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,609,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,227,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,676 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,877,174,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 24,637,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,568,313,000 after purchasing an additional 835,146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 18,951,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,894,979,000 after purchasing an additional 52,074 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $245.53 on Tuesday. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $141.50 and a 1-year high of $246.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $591.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $221.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $199.96.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $24.28 billion for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.04% and a net margin of 28.46%. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.06%.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company momentum from product mix and recent earnings beat — analysts and commentators point to rising oncology revenues, a MedTech recovery and an earnings surprise as drivers of upside for JNJ. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Potential major asset sale — reports say Johnson & Johnson is exploring a sale of its orthopedics unit DePuy Synthes as part of a planned separation; a successful divestiture could unlock cash/value and simplify the company. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Clinical data supports Pharma franchise — J&J presented three?year TREMFYA ulcerative colitis data showing sustained outcomes, which supports longer?term revenue prospects for immunology assets. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and income appeal remain intact — JNJ’s regular dividend (recently announced/ex?dividend timing noted in filings) keeps the stock attractive to income and long?term investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reports highlight structural tailwinds in vision and cataract devices — sector growth forecasts (phaco systems, femtosecond lasers) could benefit J&J’s device franchises over time but are longer?term drivers. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic partnerships and analyst noise — a first co?funding agreement with Blackstone and mixed analyst notes/option activity are being watched but have produced muted immediate market reaction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bayer lawsuit raises litigation overhang — Bayer sued J&J and Janssen in New York over claims around its Nubeqa prostate?cancer drug, creating potential legal costs, distraction and uncertainty for Janssen’s oncology positioning. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed — EVP Timothy Schmid filed a sale of 1,322 shares (additional prior sales also disclosed); routine but may be viewed by some investors as profit?taking. Read More.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total transaction of $324,762.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,251,310.02. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,700.17. The trade was a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $262.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, January 5th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $227.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.70.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and previously consumer health. Founded in 1886 by the Johnson family, the company has grown into a global healthcare organization with operations and sales in many countries around the world.

The company’s pharmaceuticals business, organized largely under its Janssen research and development organization, focuses on prescription medicines across therapeutic areas such as immunology, infectious disease, oncology and neuroscience.