Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by United Asset Strategies Inc.

United Asset Strategies Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 44.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 33,230 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,962 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $4,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,007 shares of the company's stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,489 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% during the third quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the company's stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC grew 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 3,705 shares of the company's stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Leerink Partners reduced their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. The trade was 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 this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock traded up $2.13 during trading on Thursday, reaching $153.28. 5,373,931 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,488,454. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $147.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.10. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $369.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.06, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced 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 34.35%. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

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.