Vestcor Inc Reduces Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Vestcor Inc lowered its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 152,320 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,077 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 0.7% of Vestcor Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $22,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 145.8% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 290 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ stock opened at $162.93 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $392.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.34. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $169.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business’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 sale, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson 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.