Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Up 0.6% - What's Next?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 0.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $144.53 and last traded at $144.39. 3,051,717 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 7,143,677 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.58.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $347.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock's fifty day moving average is $155.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.24.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given 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 payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased 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 $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 134,245,811 shares of the company's stock worth $21,755,874,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154,088 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,106,884 shares of the company's stock worth $9,064,149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004,763 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 10.8% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,780,645 shares of the company's stock worth $2,744,979,000 after acquiring an additional 1,831,751 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 7.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,316,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,968,440,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265,748 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,858,543,000 after purchasing an additional 102,502 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.