Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Increases Dividend to $1.30 Per Share

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, April 15th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of 1.30 per share on Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This is a 4.8% increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24.

Johnson & Johnson has increased its dividend by an average of 5.4% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 63 years. Johnson & Johnson has a payout ratio of 45.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Johnson & Johnson to earn $11.07 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.96 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 44.8%.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JNJ traded up $3.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $157.42. The stock had a trading volume of 10,972,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,953,112. The stock has a market capitalization of $379.37 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $169.99. The business's 50-day moving average price is $159.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.65 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Argus raised Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Leerink Partners cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Johnson & Johnson stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,876 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,332 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $7,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.