Aurora Investment Managers LLC. Reduces Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Aurora Investment Managers LLC. lowered its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 23.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,440 shares of the company’s stock after selling 733 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Managers LLC.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $395,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% during the first quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 159,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,266,000 after purchasing an additional 2,267 shares during the period. Adams Asset Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.2% during the first quarter. Adams Asset Advisors LLC now owns 5,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $911,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Stolper Co grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% during the first quarter. Stolper Co now owns 32,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,133,000 after buying an additional 2,899 shares in the last quarter. Welch Group LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.7% during the first quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 326,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,691,000 after buying an additional 14,527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.9% during the first quarter. Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc now owns 9,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $164.51. 821,307 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,004,460. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $143.13 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $395.92 billion, a PE ratio of 10.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $162.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.66.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.93.

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.