Sigma Planning Corp Sells 1,574 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,619 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,574 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $8,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $166.13 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $149.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.92. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The firm has a market cap of $399.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.67.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.