Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by AlphaMark Advisors LLC

AlphaMark Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 61.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,441 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,256 shares during the quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $4,071,642,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,019,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,764,852,000 after buying an additional 3,391,657 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,945,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,483,532,000 after buying an additional 241,799 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 10,620,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,664,620,000 after buying an additional 498,647 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,169,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,593,908,000 after purchasing an additional 975,485 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on JNJ shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, June 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.07.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $146.03 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $148.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.97. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $143.13 and a 12 month high of $175.97. The company has a market capitalization of $351.45 billion, a PE ratio of 9.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The company had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.68 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st were paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 30.92%.

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.