Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Searle & CO.

Searle & CO. trimmed its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 9.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,712 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,200 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 1.6% of Searle & CO.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $6,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 1,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% during the third quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.6% during the second quarter. Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on JNJ shares. Daiwa America downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, TD Securities reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.93.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.5 %

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $165.86 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $399.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $163.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.92. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $143.13 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 30.92%.

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.