M&G Plc Trims Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

M&G Plc reduced its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 277,367 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,922 shares during the period. M&G Plc’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $44,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $765,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. now owns 6,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Lincoln National Corp increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 77,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083 shares during the last quarter. Hendley & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Hendley & Co. Inc. now owns 63,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,039,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horan Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 30.9% in the 1st quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 6,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after purchasing an additional 1,531 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $157.76 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $379.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $143.13 and a 52-week high of $168.85.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were 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 directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on JNJ. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered 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. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target 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. Seven 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.00.

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.