Sentry LLC Has $6.48 Million Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Sentry LLC decreased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 0.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 40,974 shares of the company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises about 1.2% of Sentry LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Sentry LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $6,482,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Norges Bank bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $4,071,642,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,019,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,764,852,000 after acquiring an additional 3,391,657 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,945,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,483,532,000 after purchasing an additional 241,799 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 10,620,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,664,620,000 after purchasing an additional 498,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,169,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,593,908,000 after purchasing an additional 975,485 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of JNJ stock traded down $0.68 on Friday, hitting $146.14. The stock had a trading volume of 6,182,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,728,638. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $175.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $155.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.32. The company has a market cap of $352.17 billion, a PE ratio of 9.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.43%. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.68 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Bank of America cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Raymond James raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Seven investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.86.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.