Optas LLC Has $1.12 Million Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Optas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Rating) by 2.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,851 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 78.0% in the 2nd quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 178 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 333.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. First Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 380 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $84,000. 67.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, insider William Hait sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.55, for a total value of $2,573,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 80,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,764,485.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Robert J. Decker sold 16,928 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $2,962,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 15,473 shares in the company, valued at $2,707,775. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider William Hait sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.55, for a total transaction of $2,573,250.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 80,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,764,485.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 277,886 shares of company stock valued at $48,550,549 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $178.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 14th. Credit Suisse Group initiated coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, November 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $194.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 19th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $192.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.75.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $168.74 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $155.72 and a 52-week high of $186.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market capitalization of $441.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a fifty day moving average of $176.14 and a 200-day moving average of $171.25.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 21st will be paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 17th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.95%.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research and development, manufacture and sale of products in the health care field. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Health, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Devices. The Consumer Health segment includes products used in the baby care, oral care, beauty, over-the-counter pharmaceutical, women’s health, and wound care markets.