Simplicity Solutions LLC Trims Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Simplicity Solutions LLC cut its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 118,301 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $18,542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of JNJ. 4J Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. 4J Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. My Personal CFO LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. My Personal CFO LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $713,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Eagle Strategies LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 3,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $563,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. FIDELIS iM LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. FIDELIS iM LLC now owns 2,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $685,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.7 %

JNJ stock opened at $145.74 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $156.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.68. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $143.13 and a fifty-two week high of $175.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $351.20 billion, a PE ratio of 9.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.43%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.68 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.68%.

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.