Sentry Investment Management LLC Has $1.43 Million Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 14.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,899 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,611 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 0.7% of Sentry Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Sentry Investment Management LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,432,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Knuff & Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the third quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 9,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,534,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Vertex Planning Partners LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 5,211 shares of the company's stock valued at $844,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 2,080 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Corepath Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Corepath Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,985 shares of the company's stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,560 shares of the company's stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $2.06 during trading on Monday, reaching $167.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,945,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,212,892. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $150.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $402.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 74.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 25th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.