Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) traded up 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $159.14 and last traded at $158.73. 938,548 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 7,073,249 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.96.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $163.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.31.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.1 %

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $158.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.69. The company has a market cap of $381.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.16.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the firm’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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Johnson & Johnson news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 183.3% during the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.