Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Argus Investors Counsel Inc.

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 23.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,801 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,094 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,102,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth about $43,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 217.1% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth about $49,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Citigroup upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.93.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.4 %

JNJ opened at $163.45 on Wednesday. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $168.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $163.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

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.