Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 0.8% Higher

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price was up 0.8% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $162.92 and last traded at $162.67. Approximately 615,748 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 7,109,610 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on JNJ. TD Securities reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, September 20th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $391.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $162.02 and its 200-day moving average is $154.27.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The business had revenue of $22.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th were given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth $43,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 528.6% in the fourth quarter. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. now owns 308 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.