Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 13,112 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 279,623 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,112 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $40,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Powers Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the third quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 9,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Vertex Planning Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 5,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $844,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.1% in the third quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC now owns 6,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,016,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,699,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $155.23 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $147.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 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 cap of $373.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.34, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.67.

Insider Activity

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

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.