Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 0.3% - Should You Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $161.05 and last traded at $160.36. 642,587 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 6,962,811 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.93.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $385.53 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.52. 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 business's 50-day moving average is $163.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.44.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 71.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 400.0% during the third quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other 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.