Clarus Group Inc. Trims Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Clarus Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 39.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,049 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,683 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 0.8% of Clarus Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Clarus Group Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,105,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 32,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,061,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 327.1% in the 4th quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. now owns 6,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $995,000 after acquiring an additional 4,861 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 117,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,362,000 after purchasing an additional 20,065 shares during the period. Finally, Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,563,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on 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. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.36.

Insider Activity

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

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $144.77 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.74. The company has a market capitalization of $348.86 billion, a PE ratio of 10.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $143.39 and a twelve month high of $175.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The company had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.47%.

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.