McIlrath & Eck LLC Sells 2,258 Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

McIlrath & Eck LLC lessened its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 78.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 634 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,258 shares during the quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $92,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Monograph Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Monograph Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,000 after buying an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Novem Group purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,196,000. 10Elms LLP purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $99,000. Taylor Hoffman Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Taylor Hoffman Capital Management LLC now owns 28,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,166,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 460,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,665,000 after purchasing an additional 59,393 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE JNJ opened at $153.17 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $169.99. 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 company has a market capitalization of $368.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $155.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.79.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 21,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on JNJ. Benchmark raised Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.88.

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.