Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Bridgewater Advisors Inc.

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,293 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,993 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $3,227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the second quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,538,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% in the third quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the third quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 9,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% in the third quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 3,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $148.10 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $356.57 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.11. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $140.68 and a 12 month high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com cut Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $173.27.

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.