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

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) traded up 0.5% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $148.74 and last traded at $148.51. 2,695,248 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 7,332,300 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Finally, HSBC raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $174.07.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.7 %

The firm has a market cap of $357.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $148.05 and a 200-day moving average of $154.35.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 45.26%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st were paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Disciplined Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.