Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Has $3.76 Million Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. lowered its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,980 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,029 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up approximately 2.1% of Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $3,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 3,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Harmony Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Harmony Asset Management LLC now owns 19,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,808,000 after acquiring an additional 3,490 shares during the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth about $80,751,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 110,063 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,087,000 after acquiring an additional 4,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 40,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,979,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $147.03 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $168.85. The company has a market capitalization of $353.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $148.51 and its 200-day moving average is $156.10.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on JNJ. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.29.

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.