Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC Sells 2,107 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC reduced its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 20.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,113 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,107 shares during the period. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,988,000 after acquiring an additional 7,110 shares in the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. raised 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 worth $29,996,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the third quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 3,710 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth about $69,859,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on JNJ. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ traded down $0.74 on Monday, reaching $147.03. 10,678,393 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,880,262. The firm has a market capitalization of $353.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.51. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $140.68 and a one year high of $168.85. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $148.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

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.