Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Greenwood Gearhart Inc.

Greenwood Gearhart Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 90.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,553 shares of the company’s stock after selling 71,261 shares during the period. Greenwood Gearhart Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 10.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,472,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $562,723,000 after buying an additional 329,473 shares during the period. Invst LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 394.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,668,000 after acquiring an additional 8,207 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 10.7% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. Passumpsic Savings Bank acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $262,000. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 10.1% during the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 50,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,180,000 after purchasing an additional 4,640 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $153.66 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $169.99. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $159.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.10. The company has a market capitalization of $370.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.50.

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.