Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV trimmed its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,786 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,651 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $5,296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of JNJ. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,071,642,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 7,875.8% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,090,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $327,647,000 after acquiring an additional 2,064,175 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $193,050,000. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 89.9% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,251,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,713,000 after buying an additional 1,065,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, abrdn plc raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 104.1% during the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 2,014,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,791,000 after buying an additional 1,027,441 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE JNJ traded down $2.73 on Friday, hitting $146.97. 9,520,576 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,234,254. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $143.13 and a 52-week high of $175.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $353.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $151.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.68 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Bank of America cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, May 6th. HSBC raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.86.

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.