Norden Group LLC Sells 278 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Norden Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,051 shares of the company’s stock after selling 278 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Islay Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC now owns 7,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,101,000 after buying an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 26,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,219,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Ledyard National Bank boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 58,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,134,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 589,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,401,000 after purchasing an additional 35,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LWM Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Johnson & Johnson 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 approximately $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $149.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $175.97. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $154.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.02. The company has a market capitalization of $359.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.68 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.86.

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.