Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Receives “Overweight” Rating from Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed their overweight rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) in a report published on Monday, Benzinga reports. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has a $215.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of JNJ opened at $145.74 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $351.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.09, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $175.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $156.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.68. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.43% and a net margin of 45.26%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.68 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.68%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 90,144.4% in the fourth 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 during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 42,224,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,458,962,000 after purchasing an additional 4,521,062 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $4,609,399,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,019,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,764,852,000 after buying an additional 3,391,657 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 22,104,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,464,617,000 after buying an additional 4,021,883 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.