GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Sells 1,651 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC decreased its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 16.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,683 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,651 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Norges Bank bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,390,037,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,339,878,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 24,450.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,215,367 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,196,596,000 after buying an additional 7,185,977 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 134.5% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 7,948,508 shares of the company's stock worth $1,149,536,000 after buying an additional 4,559,147 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 30,813,175 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,456,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,363,235 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:JNJ traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $156.98. The company had a trading volume of 4,008,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,933,982. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $153.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $153.71. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $169.99. The firm has a market cap of $377.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. 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 (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.65 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a $1.30 dividend. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Leerink Partnrs downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. 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 Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Benchmark raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.