Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Hits New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $142.75 and last traded at $144.00, with a volume of 1958380 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $143.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on JNJ. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Stock 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 company has a market capitalization of $347.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50-day moving average of $155.16 and a 200-day moving average of $156.24.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 2.5% during the second quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 35,017 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,118,000 after buying an additional 854 shares during the period. Atlas Brown Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 34,853 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,094,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 131,689 shares of the company's stock worth $19,248,000 after purchasing an additional 3,570 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 54,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Precedent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,131 shares of the company's stock worth $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares in 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.