Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Cypress Capital Group

Cypress Capital Group reduced its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,267 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,162 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 1.3% of Cypress Capital Group’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Cypress Capital Group’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $10,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 228.1% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,389,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,223,000 after purchasing an additional 2,356,359 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,840,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,721,355,000 after purchasing an additional 1,729,281 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth about $225,040,000. FMR LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,316,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,968,440,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 7,516.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,245,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,163,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229,414 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $165.22 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $397.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.19.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Nine research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired 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 in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 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.