Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Down 2.3% - Should You Sell?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) was down 2.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $141.50 and last traded at $146.56. Approximately 4,046,522 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 48% from the average daily volume of 7,851,527 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.50.

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Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business's 50 day moving average is $159.39 and its 200-day moving average is $155.10. The stock has a market cap of $370.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.11, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.65 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of Johnson & Johnson 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,483,645.88. The trade was 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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