Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. Sells 79,917 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. decreased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 526,865 shares of the company's stock after selling 79,917 shares during the quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $76,195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. MRP Capital Investments LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 1,394 shares of the company's stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 2,080 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the company's stock worth $742,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 14,564 shares of the company's stock worth $2,106,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $153.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,029,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,972,755. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $169.99. The stock has a market cap of $368.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.03, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42.

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, topping 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 company had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark raised Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus raised Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $170.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate 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.