Equitable Trust Co. Reduces Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Equitable Trust Co. trimmed its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 57.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,850 shares of the company’s stock after selling 79,175 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for about 0.7% of Equitable Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $9,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 23,773 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,726,000 after acquiring an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 88,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,784,000 after acquiring an additional 8,174 shares in the last quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 83,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,146,000 after acquiring an additional 889 shares in the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 328,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,538,000 after acquiring an additional 21,499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bristlecone Advisors LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC now owns 41,289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,472,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ opened at $147.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $355.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50 day moving average is $157.24 and its 200 day moving average is $156.00. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $144.95 and a 12-month high of $175.97.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $21.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.02 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The firm’s revenue was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.35 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.66 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.31.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.