Clarus Group Inc. Reduces Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Clarus Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,369 shares of the company’s stock after selling 237 shares during the quarter. Clarus Group Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $632,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.67.

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 that occurred 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 completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ? increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $157.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $378.58 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $168.85. The company has a 50-day moving average of $147.58 and a 200 day moving average of $156.00.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.35% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.