Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Down 1.1%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price was down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $160.96 and last traded at $160.98. Approximately 754,269 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 7,124,830 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 1.1 %

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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $161.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.18. The company has a market capitalization of $387.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.04, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $22.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Meridian Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at $1,626,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 26.3% in the 1st quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,000 after acquiring an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 9,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,428,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the first quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC now owns 47,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,464,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 8.8% during the first quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,044,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by 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.