Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Cut to "Buy" at StockNews.com

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Securities lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock traded down $0.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $164.41. 6,016,290 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,247,568. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $157.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $395.68 billion, a PE ratio of 10.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1,194.9% in the 4th quarter. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. now owns 237,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,190,000 after acquiring an additional 218,949 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 9,111 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,428,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,034 shares of the company's stock worth $3,454,000 after buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 13,821 shares of the company's stock worth $2,166,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 53,142 shares of the company's stock worth $8,329,000 after buying an additional 2,692 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

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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