Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. Sells 1,983 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. reduced its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,375 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,983 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $5,217,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at $40,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $153.54 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $147.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.10. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $168.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 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 (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.35% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 74.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. 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. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 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 report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Argus raised 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.