Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,991,352 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,527 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 0.6% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.25% of Johnson & Johnson worth $866,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.3 %

JNJ stock opened at $153.10 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.08. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $368.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.35% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 74.59%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased 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 in the company, valued at $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.67.

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.