Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Price Target Raised to $171.00 at Bank of America

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Bank of America from $159.00 to $171.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Bank of America's target price suggests a potential upside of 3.89% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Raymond James lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.33.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.5 %

JNJ traded down $0.82 on Wednesday, hitting $164.60. 4,196,561 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,994,079. The company has a market cap of $396.30 billion, a PE ratio of 24.76, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $140.68 and a 12 month high of $169.99. The stock's fifty day moving average is $151.73 and its 200-day moving average is $156.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought 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 directly owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% during the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,988,000 after purchasing an additional 7,110 shares in the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,996,000 after buying an additional 9,309 shares during the period. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $949,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 57.9% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock valued at $501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,271 shares during the period. Finally, Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% in the third quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,667,000 after buying an additional 3,710 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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.

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