Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 23.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 204,458 shares of the company's stock after selling 61,230 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $29,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in JNJ. Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,988,000 after acquiring an additional 7,110 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,996,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company's stock worth $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 3,710 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,858,543,000 after buying an additional 102,502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth about $69,859,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.1 %

Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $1.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $152.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,907,293 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,702,731. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $168.85. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $367.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.51. The stock's fifty day moving average is $147.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.10.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. 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 research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $170.44.

Johnson & Johnson 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.