Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 15.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 276,860 shares of the company's stock after selling 49,593 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $45,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 51.8% in the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 252 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE JNJ traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $155.90. 3,482,521 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,047,072. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.34, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.41. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99. The company's 50-day moving average is $153.68 and its 200-day moving average is $154.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.26.

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

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 57.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $157.00 to $172.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Finally, Benchmark raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus 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.