Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 0.4% Higher

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) were up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $157.40 and last traded at $156.33. Approximately 1,693,340 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 7,063,367 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on JNJ. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $163.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.31.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $158.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.69. The company has a market cap of $381.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $21.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.02 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The business’s revenue was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.35 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.19 per share. This represents a $4.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.47%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value 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 $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 90,144.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 54,386,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,607,414,000 after acquiring an additional 54,326,454 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,609,399,000. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 161,420.2% during the second quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 7,276,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,204,404,000 after purchasing an additional 7,271,978 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 42,224,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,458,962,000 after buying an additional 4,521,062 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 61.0% during the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,287,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,868,351,000 after buying an additional 4,278,512 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.