Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Eastover Investment Advisors LLC

Eastover Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 42,603 shares of the company’s stock after selling 509 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 2.9% of Eastover Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Eastover Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $6,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 522,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,495,000 after purchasing an additional 31,640 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 18,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,636,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $941,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs & Co. CA boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 56,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,181,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ opened at $142.07 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.11. The company has a market cap of $342.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $168.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on JNJ. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.71.

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.