Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 129,399 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,741 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $18,714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,339,878,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 228.1% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,389,361 shares of the company's stock worth $549,223,000 after buying an additional 2,356,359 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 11.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,840,069 shares of the company's stock worth $2,721,355,000 after buying an additional 1,729,281 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 11,930,183 shares of the company's stock worth $1,698,984,000 after purchasing an additional 1,660,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $225,040,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ opened at $165.86 on Wednesday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $399.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $153.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.29.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on JNJ. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.33.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value 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 trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.

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