Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 1.5% - Should You Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 1.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $169.90 and last traded at $169.16. 4,082,648 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 7,022,617 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.69.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on JNJ. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Nine equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.33.

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Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 1.4 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $398.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. The business's 50-day moving average is $153.44 and its 200 day moving average is $156.28. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 232,792,559 shares of the company's stock worth $33,666,460,000 after buying an additional 1,772,706 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 134,245,811 shares of the company's stock worth $21,755,874,000 after buying an additional 1,154,088 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 57,667,920 shares of the company's stock worth $8,321,881,000 after buying an additional 1,561,036 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 30,813,175 shares of the company's stock worth $4,456,201,000 after purchasing an additional 3,363,235 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,390,037,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.