Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 1.3% - Still a Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) shares traded up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $166.03 and last traded at $165.84. 2,765,213 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 8,911,674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $170.67.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm's fifty day moving average is $149.33 and its 200-day moving average is $155.88. The firm has a market cap of $398.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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.

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