QRG Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 480,946 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,179 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 0.7% of QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $69,554,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $165.23 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $397.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $150.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

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 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 3.00%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on JNJ. Bank of America decreased 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. Citigroup decreased 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 report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus raised Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.