Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 0.9% Higher - Here's What Happened

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 0.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $153.59 and last traded at $151.94. Approximately 2,857,256 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 7,821,936 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on JNJ shares. Leerink Partners cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced 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 report on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, January 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $171.67.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $365.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. 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 has a 50 day moving average of $159.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.21.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business'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 owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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.