Johnson & Johnson Announces Quarterly Dividend of $1.24 (NYSE:JNJ)

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, January 2nd,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of 1.24 per share on Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%.

Johnson & Johnson has increased its dividend payment by an average of 5.7% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 63 years. Johnson & Johnson has a payout ratio of 46.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Johnson & Johnson to earn $10.55 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.96 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 47.0%.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $144.62 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $348.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $142.75 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $152.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.23.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.73.

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.