Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Upgraded at The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has $172.00 price objective on the stock, up from their previous price objective of $157.00.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on JNJ. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective 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, Citigroup reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.67.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ stock traded up $2.93 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $151.62. 9,940,249 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,949,833. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $159.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.21. The firm has a market cap of $365.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $169.99. 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 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. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. Johnson & Johnson's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 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.