Liberty Capital Management Inc. Sells 100 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Liberty Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,147 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. GAM Holding AG raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.2% in the third quarter. GAM Holding AG now owns 58,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,402,000 after buying an additional 1,822 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 8,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 4,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.2% in the third quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 37,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,029,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE JNJ opened at $165.86 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $168.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $399.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $163.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.92.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on JNJ. TD Securities dropped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.