Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV lessened its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 907,902 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,842 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $131,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Summit Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,463,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,489 shares of the company's stock worth $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% in the third quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the company's stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 9,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 3,705 shares of the company's stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $170.44.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:JNJ traded up $2.87 during trading on Thursday, reaching $154.02. The stock had a trading volume of 4,064,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,429,284. 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 company has a market capitalization of $370.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.16, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.51. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $147.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.10. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $140.68 and a one year high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

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 given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 74.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction 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 approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.