Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 16.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,305 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,897 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $5,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 145.8% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 290 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $62,928.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.1 %

JNJ opened at $165.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $153.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.29. The company has a market cap of $399.33 billion, a PE ratio of 24.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $169.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, January 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.33.

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.

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