Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,431,982 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,330 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.14% of Johnson & Johnson worth $496,333,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th 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 shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $170.67.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of JNJ traded up $1.73 on Thursday, reaching $159.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,216,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,968,130. The stock has a market capitalization of $384.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.00, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $168.85. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.34 and a 200-day moving average of $155.86.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value 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. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.