S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Trims Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC lessened its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,720 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,340 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson comprises approximately 1.8% of S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $5,310,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth $1,082,000. Sienna Gestion increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 100,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,717,000 after purchasing an additional 15,761 shares during the period. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% during the second quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 28,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,125,000 after buying an additional 3,210 shares during the period. Finally, Miramar Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at approximately $258,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $166.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE JNJ opened at $147.78 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $148.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.01. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $140.68 and a one year high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $355.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.78%.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.