Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) VP Sells $1,160,994.12 in Stock

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $165.23 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.06. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $397.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on JNJ shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 425,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,985,000 after acquiring an additional 52,997 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. Wealth Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth $213,000. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% during 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 during the period. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 982,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,239,000 after purchasing an additional 130,305 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.