Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV decreased its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 671,284 shares of the company’s stock after selling 60,932 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $97,081,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,472,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $562,723,000 after acquiring an additional 329,473 shares during the period. Invst LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 394.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 8,207 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 10.7% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $469,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $262,000. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 10.1% during the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 50,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,180,000 after acquiring an additional 4,640 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. Benchmark raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of JNJ opened at $156.32 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $376.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $159.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.78. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $169.99.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.65 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 57.84%.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.