Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $141.44 and last traded at $143.18, with a volume of 1678788 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $146.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.71.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $343.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $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 during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 400.0% during the 3rd quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.