Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 1.1% Higher - Still a Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $159.95 and last traded at $159.56. 1,739,542 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 8,795,044 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Leerink Partners dropped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $170.67.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.4 %

The stock has a market cap of $396.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.70, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $148.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% during the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,988,000 after acquiring an additional 7,110 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company's stock worth $29,996,000 after buying an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth $949,000. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% in the third quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company's stock worth $3,667,000 after buying an additional 3,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company's stock worth $2,858,543,000 after buying 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 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.