Gradient Capital Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Gradient Capital Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,813 shares of the company’s stock after selling 578 shares during the quarter. Gradient Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 14.2% in the third 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 purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $209,000. Wealth Group Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $213,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 4,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 988,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,181,000 after buying an additional 41,082 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $156.20 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $168.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market cap of $376.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $147.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.01.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. Analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. 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 research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Nine investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.67.

Johnson & Johnson 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.