Sterling Investment Management LLC Sells 227 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Sterling Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 13,421 shares of the company’s stock after selling 227 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 1.5% of Sterling Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Sterling Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Corepath Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Corepath Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,078,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. XML Financial LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 69,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,057,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Genesis Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $308,000. Finally, Red Spruce Capital LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 12,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $146.76 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $147.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.98. The firm has a market cap of $353.34 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $140.68 and a one year high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22,438,500 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on JNJ. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday. Barclays dropped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.