Dark Forest Capital Management LP Sells 4,167 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP decreased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 72.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,620 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,167 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,472,312 shares of the company's stock worth $562,723,000 after acquiring an additional 329,473 shares during the last quarter. Invst LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 394.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 8,207 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.7% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $262,000. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 50,765 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,180,000 after purchasing an additional 4,640 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:JNJ traded down $1.89 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $154.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,317,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,915,930. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $159.24 and a 200-day moving average of $154.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $371.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.22, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $169.99.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is 57.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Benchmark raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Argus upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.82.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.