Blue Chip Partners LLC Trims Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Blue Chip Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 16.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,603 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,434 shares during the period. Blue Chip Partners LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,823,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:JNJ traded up $2.67 on Friday, hitting $162.35. The company had a trading volume of 12,540,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,073,381. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $168.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $390.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $148.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on JNJ. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $170.67.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.