Ninety One North America Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Ninety One North America Inc. decreased its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 189,812 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,094 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson comprises approximately 1.7% of Ninety One North America Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $27,451,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.3 %

JNJ opened at $153.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.06. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $368.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.67.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.