AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Lowers Holdings in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc reduced its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 5.4%, now holding 581,745 shares valued at approximately $88.78 million.
• Recent analysts' reports have upgraded Johnson & Johnson's stock rating, with price targets lifted to as high as $214, indicating strong investor interest in the company's stock.
• Johnson & Johnson also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.7%, showcasing its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lessened its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 581,745 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,092 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson accounts for approximately 1.1% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $88,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company's stock worth $7,502,000 after buying an additional 6,332 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter worth about $218,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 48.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 43,508 shares of the company's stock worth $7,215,000 after buying an additional 14,118 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,698,831 shares of the company's stock worth $281,734,000 after buying an additional 107,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optivise Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,265 shares of the company's stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $190.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $174.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Argus set a $210.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.59.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $191.79 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $194.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $461.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $180.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 30th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $24.02 billion during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.08% and a net margin of 27.26%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 55.61%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total transaction of $10,041,108.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 178,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,652,491.53. The trade was a 24.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JNJ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.