James Investment Research Inc. Reduces Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

James Investment Research Inc. cut its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 38,121 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,246 shares during the quarter. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $6,322,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lantz Financial LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% during the first quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 11,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,986,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Sulzberger Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $453,000. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% in the first quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 74,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,526 shares during the period. State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 205,580.0% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,487,000 after buying an additional 10,279 shares during the period. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 18.9% during the first quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 15,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,635,000 after buying an additional 2,529 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Benchmark upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.00.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 6.2%

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $164.78 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $169.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $396.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $153.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.26.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $23.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.85 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 24.42% and a return on equity of 33.46%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.84%.

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.