Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Capital Investment Counsel Inc

Capital Investment Counsel Inc cut its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 17,395 shares of the company’s stock after selling 585 shares during the period. Capital Investment Counsel Inc’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 51,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,389,000 after purchasing an additional 2,031 shares during the period. ING Groep NV lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.5% during the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 524,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,898,000 after buying an additional 193,689 shares in the last quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE now owns 6,529,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $944,267,000 after acquiring an additional 28,814 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 5,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $847,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $936,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE:JNJ opened at $162.35 on Monday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $168.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $148.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $390.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current 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 issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Leerink Partners dropped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.