Sterling Financial Planning Inc. Sells 893 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Sterling Financial Planning Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,223 shares of the company’s stock after selling 893 shares during the period. Sterling Financial Planning Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,348,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1,194.9% in the 4th quarter. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. now owns 237,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,190,000 after purchasing an additional 218,949 shares during the period. McCarthy Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. McCarthy Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,273,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Total Wealth Planning LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Total Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Stonebrook Private Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,583,000. Finally, Conservest Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Conservest Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ traded up $1.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $165.86. The company had a trading volume of 7,971,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,271,470. The firm has a market cap of $399.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $155.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.45. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $165.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.11. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The firm had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

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.