Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Valley National Advisers Inc.

Valley National Advisers Inc. decreased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,806 shares of the company’s stock after selling 113 shares during the quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in JNJ. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. WFA Asset Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Disciplined Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 528.6% in the 4th quarter. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. now owns 308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. HSBC upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, June 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.07.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $145.69 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $147.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $350.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.08, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $143.13 and a 12-month high of $175.97.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 45.26%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st were given a $1.24 dividend. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.