MQS Management LLC Has $489,000 Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

MQS Management LLC cut its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 30.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,348 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,466 shares during the quarter. MQS Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $489,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the first quarter worth $31,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at $43,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $164.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $396.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $154.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $143.13 and a 12-month high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.11. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The business had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th were issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. TD Securities decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,131,683.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson 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.