Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Sold by Biondo Investment Advisors LLC

Biondo Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,868 shares of the company’s stock after selling 365 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson makes up 1.6% of Biondo Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $4,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 38,393,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,589,167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364,028 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,846,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,791,274,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021,877 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth $4,139,107,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 27,407,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,997,886,000 after acquiring an additional 915,066 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 17,945,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,617,750,000 after buying an additional 799,194 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.45% of the company’s stock.

In related news, Director William D. Perez purchased 500 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $127.69 per share, with a total value of $63,845.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,046,870.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

JNJ opened at $144.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $380.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.71. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $109.16 and a 1 year high of $157.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $147.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.57.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.27. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 39.71% and a net margin of 24.47%. The firm had revenue of $20.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 7.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be given a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 46.54%.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. UBS Group downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $163.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Bank of America upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $150.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $168.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $173.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.47.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches and develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the health care field worldwide. It operates in three segments: Consumer, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Devices. The Consumer segment offers baby care products under the JOHNSON'S brand; oral care products under the LISTERINE brand; beauty products under the AVEENO, CLEAN & CLEAR, DABAO, JOHNSON'S Adult, LE PETITE MARSEILLAIS, NEUTROGENA, and OGX brands; over-the-counter medicines, including acetaminophen products under the TYLENOL brand; cold, flu, and allergy products under the SUDAFED brand; allergy products under the BENADRYL and ZYRTEC brands; ibuprofen products under the MOTRIN IB brand; and acid reflux products under the PEPCID brand.

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