Ifrah Financial Services Inc. Lowers Holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Ifrah Financial Services Inc. cut its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,377 shares of the company’s stock after selling 241 shares during the quarter. Ifrah Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 56.2% during the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 98,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,387,000 after acquiring an additional 35,340 shares during the period. Provence Wealth Management Group increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Provence Wealth Management Group now owns 6,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $942,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,915,000. W Advisors LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 8,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the period. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 92,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,425,000 after acquiring an additional 25,652 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $148.95 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $143.13 and a 1 year high of $175.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market cap of $358.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.29, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $153.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.97.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.68 EPS. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.