Apriem Advisors Sells 225 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Apriem Advisors reduced its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,215 shares of the company’s stock after selling 225 shares during the quarter. Apriem Advisors’ holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $165.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $397.81 billion, a PE ratio of 24.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $168.85. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus raised Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 25th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.