Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. 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 Securities dropped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.4 %

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $166.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $401.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.81. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $168.85. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.92%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the business’s 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 sale, 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 this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Citizens & Northern Corp raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the second quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 1,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 16,861 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,643,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.6% during the second quarter. Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Pine Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.9% during the second quarter. Pine Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Verity Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,268 shares of the company’s stock worth $512,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in 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.