Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Down 0.3% - Here's Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.3% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $151.81 and last traded at $152.61. 2,876,662 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 7,006,470 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $367.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 2.74 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 the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.66 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 71.78%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company'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 transaction of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This represents a 22.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth about $40,000. 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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