Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 1.1% – Time to Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJGet Free Report)’s stock price shot up 1.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $159.95 and last traded at $159.56. 1,739,542 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 8,795,044 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.67.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on JNJ

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $383.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $148.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.86.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJGet Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 74.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,988,000 after buying an additional 7,110 shares in the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,996,000 after acquiring an additional 9,309 shares during the period. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $949,000. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 3,710 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,858,543,000 after purchasing an additional 102,502 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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