Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Position Cut by North Star Investment Management Corp.

North Star Investment Management Corp. lessened its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,956 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,194 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 0.7% of North Star Investment Management Corp.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. North Star Investment Management Corp.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $10,203,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meridian Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,626,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 26.3% during the 1st quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the first quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC now owns 47,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,464,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Lmcg Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 32.7% in the third quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 87,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,125,000 after buying an additional 21,471 shares during the period. Finally, NTV Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the first quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 36,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,695,000 after buying an additional 565 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 19th. TD Securities reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.93.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $158.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $381.25 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $163.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $143.13 and a twelve month high of $168.85.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 71.78%.

Johnson & Johnson 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.