Birch Capital Management LLC Reduces Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Birch Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 34.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,936 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,817 shares during the quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 400.0% during the 3rd quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.71.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of JNJ traded up $3.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $146.74. The company had a trading volume of 4,441,289 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,029,926. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $142.75 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.25. The stock has a market cap of $353.29 billion, a PE ratio of 21.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.66 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th 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 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.