Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.

Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. reduced its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 42,300 shares of the company’s stock after selling 538 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises approximately 1.5% of Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $6,117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on JNJ. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Leerink Partners cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.67.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $163.81 on Tuesday. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $168.85. The stock has a market cap of $394.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.63, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.88.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 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 $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.