Traders Buy High Volume of Johnson & Johnson Call Options (NYSE:JNJ)

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 58,414 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 69% compared to the typical daily volume of 34,611 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a 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. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $162.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $170.67.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.7 %

Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $2.67 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $162.35. The company had a trading volume of 12,540,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,073,381. The firm has a market cap of $390.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $168.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $148.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.90.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.59%.

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.