MML Investors Services LLC Has $40.62 Million Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

MML Investors Services LLC decreased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 280,857 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,399 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $40,618,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.9 %

JNJ traded down $1.47 during trading on Friday, reaching $153.46. 3,774,894 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,901,735. The company's fifty day moving average price is $159.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $369.82 billion, a PE ratio of 23.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $169.99.

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

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 57.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $157.00 to $172.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.82.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade 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.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.