Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0% – Here’s Why

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) were up 0% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $164.45 and last traded at $163.51. Approximately 1,096,675 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 6,989,499 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.93.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.7 %

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $163.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $387.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.14, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avitas Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,862,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% in the third quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 9,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth about $200,000. Jacobsen Capital Management grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobsen Capital Management now owns 3,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 28,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,770,000 after buying an additional 2,155 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is 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.