Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. reduced its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 11.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,026 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,445 shares during the quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,852,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vicus Capital lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 13.8% in the first quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 7,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the period. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,258,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.0% in the first quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 439,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,528,000 after purchasing an additional 4,377 shares during the period. Grimes & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 2.3% during the first quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 97,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,491,000 after buying an additional 2,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WoodTrust Financial Corp grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 10.9% during the first quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 91,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,549,000 after buying an additional 9,033 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $146.16 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $148.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $351.76 billion, a PE ratio of 9.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $143.13 and a 12 month high of $175.97.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.68 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st were issued a $1.24 dividend. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, June 17th. Bank of America cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.07.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.