Advisory Alpha LLC Lowers Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Advisory Alpha LLC decreased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 28.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,199 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,017 shares during the quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Conquis Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE JNJ traded up $1.41 on Friday, hitting $154.99. 15,529,047 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,948,740. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $154.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $372.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion during 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%. Research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $157.00 to $172.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.88.

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.