Asset Dedication LLC Reduces Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Asset Dedication LLC decreased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 40.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,387 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,206 shares during the quarter. Asset Dedication LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Powers Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the third quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,538,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% during the third quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Knuff & Co LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the third quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 9,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,534,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% during the third quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 3,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Vertex Planning Partners LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the third quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 5,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $844,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased 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 $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:JNJ opened at $152.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $366.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 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. The company has a 50-day moving average of $147.67 and a 200 day moving average of $156.07. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on JNJ. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.44.

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.