Securian Asset Management Inc. Trims Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 129,399 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,741 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $18,714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Liberty Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 26,449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,825,000 after buying an additional 1,144 shares during the period. Austin Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Austin Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $759,000. Finally, Summit X LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $165.86 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $153.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.29. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $169.99. The firm has a market cap of $399.33 billion, a PE ratio of 24.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on JNJ. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.33.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

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.