Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 1.1% - Time to Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 1.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $156.38 and last traded at $156.21. 888,886 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 7,042,332 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on JNJ. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $159.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $374.12 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.66 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 22.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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.

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