Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) VP Sells $1,160,994.12 in Stock

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $162.75 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $391.83 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $168.85. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $150.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on JNJ. Argus upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Yoffe Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $542,000. LifeWealth Investments LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $226,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. LM Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. LM Advisors LLC now owns 12,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,771,000 after acquiring an additional 4,311 shares during the period. Finally, Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $999,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.