Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Sold by Optimum Investment Advisors

Optimum Investment Advisors cut its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,673 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors’ holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in JNJ. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. 1248 Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. von Borstel & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at $52,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total transaction of $10,041,108.51. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 178,013 shares in the company, valued at $31,652,491.53. This trade represents a 24.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $190.38 on Monday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $194.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $458.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $182.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.37.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 30th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.73% and a net margin of 27.26%.The firm had revenue of $24.02 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $209.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Johnson Rice set a $190.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $174.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.05.

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.