Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 0.2%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price rose 0.2% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $159.25 and last traded at $158.21. Approximately 626,257 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 7,292,865 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on JNJ shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.00.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 2.1 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $149.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.19. The firm has a market cap of $395.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.23, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. WFA Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. 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.