Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Down 0.7% – Here’s Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price traded down 0.7% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $142.92 and last traded at $143.47. 1,832,429 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 7,507,230 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.47.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.71.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.9 %

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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $148.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $355.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $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 link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 62.7% in the fourth quarter. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. now owns 2,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 1,076,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,718,000 after acquiring an additional 94,147 shares during the period. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $60,000. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 18,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,628,000 after purchasing an additional 739 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 57,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.