S&CO Inc. Trims Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

S&CO Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 175,361 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,435 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises approximately 1.9% of S&CO Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. S&CO Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $28,419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of JNJ. Claro Advisors LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 10.2% during the third quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 24,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,044,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth about $520,000. Alpha Family Trust purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $321,000. Concord Asset Management LLC VA raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 24,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $222,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of JNJ opened at $154.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $161.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.10. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $143.13 and a 12-month high of $168.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 22.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.94.

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.