Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 92,223 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 476,880 shares of the company's stock after selling 92,223 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $68,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock traded down $2.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $155.35. 6,993,652 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,931,794. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $159.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.95. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $169.99. The firm has a market cap of $374.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. Research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 57.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.