Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. Has $1.64 Million Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,355 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,642,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 2.0 %

JNJ stock opened at $162.75 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $140.68 and a twelve month high of $168.85. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $150.08 and its 200-day moving average is $155.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $391.83 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of Johnson & Johnson 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their target price 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.67.

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.