Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 0.2%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shot up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $168.85 and last traded at $167.57. 1,688,598 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 7,238,905 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Daiwa Capital Markets cut Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday. Daiwa America lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $397.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.11. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The firm had revenue of $22.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 30.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth $43,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth about $46,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.