Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 768,845 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,706 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up 1.8% of Welch & Forbes LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $120,509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 183.3% during the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 43.0% in the third quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 286 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Disciplined Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE JNJ traded up $0.06 on Friday, hitting $149.91. 5,709,298 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,414,917. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $143.13 and a 12 month high of $175.97. The company has a market cap of $360.79 billion, a PE ratio of 9.31, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $153.22 and a 200-day moving average of $154.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. Johnson & Johnson's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.68 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. 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 dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $175.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.