Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 0.2% – Time to Sell?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) fell 0.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $156.35 and last traded at $157.87. 817,406 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 6,944,819 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.24.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on JNJ. Citigroup raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.93.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.4 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $379.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $163.18 and its 200 day moving average is $155.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,834,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,453,978,000 after buying an additional 3,139,499 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 10.8% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,780,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,744,979,000 after acquiring an additional 1,831,751 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,374,397 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,100,427,000 after purchasing an additional 754,200 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,147,352 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,921,565,000 after purchasing an additional 1,829,257 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 8,014,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,171,357,000 after purchasing an additional 437,637 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.