Independent Franchise Partners LLP Decreases Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Independent Franchise Partners LLP cut its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 4.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,862,080 shares of the company’s stock after selling 188,412 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for approximately 5.2% of Independent Franchise Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Independent Franchise Partners LLP owned about 0.16% of Johnson & Johnson worth $564,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 9,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,454,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 66.3% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after buying an additional 5,680 shares during the last quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 36,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,764,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens & Northern Corp lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 2,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $164.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $395.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $168.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $161.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.16.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The business had revenue of $22.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on JNJ shares. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. TD Securities reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.21.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.