Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC

Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 7.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 87,199 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,805 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises about 2.8% of Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $13,794,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in JNJ. Massachusetts Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 16,105 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,508,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 34,300 shares of the company's stock worth $5,342,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,164,000. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 5.7% in the third quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,323,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvey Investment Co. LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 9.3% in the third quarter. Harvey Investment Co. LLC now owns 218,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,032,000 after acquiring an additional 18,630 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ traded down $1.26 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $149.92. 8,334,521 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,479,998. The firm has a market capitalization of $361.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $143.13 and a twelve month high of $175.97. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $154.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.08.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.43% and a net margin of 45.26%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.68 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson's revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.86.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.

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