Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. lessened its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 1.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 976,381 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,633 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $161,923,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Lantz Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the first quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 11,974 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Sulzberger Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $453,000. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 205,580.0% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,284 shares of the company's stock worth $1,487,000 after buying an additional 10,279 shares during the last quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 74,132 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 18.9% in the first quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 15,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,635,000 after buying an additional 2,529 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $156.07. The stock had a trading volume of 6,140,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,049,705. The stock has a market capitalization of $375.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.41. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $169.99. The stock's fifty day moving average is $153.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.46% and a net margin of 24.42%. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Barclays cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Benchmark raised Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.88.

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.