Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 0.4% Higher – What’s Next?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares rose 0.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $145.85 and last traded at $145.85. Approximately 3,164,071 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 7,194,873 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.27.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.2 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $153.72 and a 200 day moving average of $156.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $350.50 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at approximately $69,859,000. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 17.5% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $876,000 after buying an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $676,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 4.0% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 1,243,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,455,000 after purchasing an additional 48,250 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.