Liberty Capital Management Inc. Has $865,000 Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Liberty Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,978 shares of the company’s stock after selling 169 shares during the quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Barclays boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.67.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $155.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $373.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $168.85. The company has a fifty day moving average of $147.48 and a 200-day moving average of $156.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 74.59%.

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.