Weybosset Research & Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Weybosset Research & Management LLC cut its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 55,489 shares of the company’s stock after selling 151 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 2.7% of Weybosset Research & Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Weybosset Research & Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $8,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. now owns 3,389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 5.6% in the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 144.0% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 461,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,409,000 after buying an additional 272,200 shares in the last quarter. Doheny Asset Management CA boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 65.1% during the second quarter. Doheny Asset Management CA now owns 16,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,296,000 after acquiring an additional 6,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Interstate Bank raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 9,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,353,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JNJ traded up $0.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $142.92. The company had a trading volume of 2,631,835 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,969,726. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $168.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $150.03 and its 200 day moving average is $156.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $344.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on JNJ. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.71.

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.