Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0.6% - Here's Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 0.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $169.99 and last traded at $168.30. 3,877,334 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 44% from the average session volume of 6,980,761 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on JNJ. Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.33.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $152.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $397.79 billion, a PE ratio of 24.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares in the company, 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 currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Copley Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $625,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,224 shares of the company's stock worth $611,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the period. American Investment Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $1,462,000. BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $412,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $331,000. 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.