Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 2.2% – Still a Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price rose 2.2% on Friday . The company traded as high as $248.94 and last traded at $248.8070. 16,134,279 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 70% from the average daily volume of 9,504,079 shares. The stock had previously closed at $243.47.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, January 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $232.70.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 2.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $599.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $201.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $24.28 billion for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 28.46% and a return on equity of 33.04%. Equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total transaction of $324,762.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,251,310.02. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and previously consumer health. Founded in 1886 by the Johnson family, the company has grown into a global healthcare organization with operations and sales in many countries around the world.

The company’s pharmaceuticals business, organized largely under its Janssen research and development organization, focuses on prescription medicines across therapeutic areas such as immunology, infectious disease, oncology and neuroscience.