Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by American Trust

American Trust decreased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,750 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,686 shares during the quarter. American Trust's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $4,983,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% during the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company's stock worth $17,988,000 after acquiring an additional 7,110 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,996,000 after buying an additional 9,309 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at $1,626,000. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% in the third quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,667,000 after buying an additional 3,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,858,543,000 after buying an additional 102,502 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $0.38 on Friday, hitting $146.62. The stock had a trading volume of 8,322,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,123,697. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $143.13 and a 52-week high of $168.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $353.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company's 50 day moving average price is $157.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.28.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $166.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.73.

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.