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

Bailard Inc. lessened its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 135,207 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,008 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $19,554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wealth Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $213,000. Swedbank AB boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,215,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,980,000 after purchasing an additional 111,570 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 6,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 5,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $937,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 80,427 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,034,000 after purchasing an additional 4,234 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE JNJ opened at $167.08 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $151.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.08. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $140.68 and a one year high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $402.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.