Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0.3% - Time to Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 0.3% on Friday . The company traded as high as $149.70 and last traded at $149.18. Approximately 1,810,982 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 7,920,436 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, January 25th. Leerink Partners reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.50.

Remove Ads

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.5 %

The firm has a market cap of $370.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $159.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.