CENTRAL TRUST Co Trims Stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

CENTRAL TRUST Co cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 134,467 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,529 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $21,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 125,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,271,000 after buying an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the third quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 19,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,111,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.4% in the third quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC now owns 7,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. X Square Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% in the third quarter. X Square Capital LLC now owns 5,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $954,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC now owns 48,439 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,850,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $163.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $163.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $154.92. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $168.85. The stock has a market cap of $393.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 19th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Daiwa America cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.93.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.