Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by ST Germain D J Co. Inc.

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 151,134 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,542 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises about 1.2% of ST Germain D J Co. Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $25,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 35.9% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 137,423 shares of the company's stock worth $22,790,000 after buying an additional 36,312 shares during the last quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.8% during the first quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC now owns 5,189 shares of the company's stock worth $861,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the first quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 864 shares during the period. Bennett Associates Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $593,000. Finally, Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 18,432 shares of the company's stock worth $3,057,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock traded up $0.28 during trading on Thursday, hitting $153.50. The stock had a trading volume of 5,271,536 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,928,955. The stock has a market cap of $369.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. 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 company's 50 day moving average price is $153.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.67. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $169.99.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Leerink Partners cut Johnson & Johnson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $169.00 to $153.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $157.00 to $172.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.