Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 1.1% - Here's Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) rose 1.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $159.95 and last traded at $159.56. Approximately 1,739,542 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 8,795,044 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 25th. Nine investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.67.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The stock's fifty day moving average is $148.93 and its 200-day moving average is $155.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $390.87 billion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.52. 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 results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 74.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. 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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% in the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company's stock worth $17,988,000 after buying an additional 7,110 shares in the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $949,000. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.