Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Schechter Investment Advisors LLC

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 18.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,037 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,028 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,043,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 183.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 43.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 286 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $163.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $167.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.31.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value 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 $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $157.96 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $158.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.69. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $144.95 and a 52 week high of $175.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $380.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.44, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.01. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The company had revenue of $21.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.35 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $4.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 34.47%.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.