Banco Santander S.A. Sells 24,117 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Banco Santander S.A. cut its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 43.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 31,139 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,117 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $5,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $765,000. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.5% during the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 86,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,699,000 after purchasing an additional 2,099 shares during the period. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 78.7% in the first quarter. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 2,487 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 351,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,667,000 after buying an additional 23,297 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,834,359 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,453,978,000 after buying an additional 3,139,499 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.8 %

JNJ opened at $155.79 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $160.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $143.13 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The company has a market capitalization of $375.08 billion, a PE ratio of 22.55, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 22.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.94.

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.