Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Up 0.6% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shot up 0.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $144.56 and last traded at $144.21. 1,114,783 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 7,150,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.9 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $348.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $152.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.23. 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 (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 400.0% in the third quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.