HF Advisory Group LLC Reduces Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

HF Advisory Group LLC trimmed its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 67.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,555 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,549 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 98,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,499,000 after purchasing an additional 2,345 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 297,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,685,000 after purchasing an additional 15,490 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $6,093,000. Archer Investment Corp lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 14,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,270,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 281.6% in the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 14,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,261,000 after purchasing an additional 10,653 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $149.56 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $155.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.51. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $175.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $360.41 billion, a PE ratio of 9.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.43%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the subject of several research reports. HSBC upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.86.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.