Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Ascent Wealth Partners LLC

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC lessened its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,047 shares of the company’s stock after selling 171 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $494,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Meridian Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth about $1,626,000. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the first quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC now owns 47,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,464,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 32.7% during the third quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 87,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,125,000 after purchasing an additional 21,471 shares in the last quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the first quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 36,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,695,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooper Haims Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.4% during the first quarter. Cooper Haims Advisors LLC now owns 3,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the sale, 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 available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $156.71 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.76. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $168.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $377.30 billion, a PE ratio of 22.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.66 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Securities dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.00.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.