Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 0.6% – Here’s What Happened

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) traded up 0.6% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $144.53 and last traded at $144.39. 3,051,717 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 7,143,677 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $166.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Seven equities research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.8 %

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $155.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $348.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.66 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 35,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,118,000 after acquiring an additional 854 shares during the period. Atlas Brown Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 34,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,094,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 131,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,248,000 after purchasing an additional 3,570 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 2.0% in the second quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 54,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,980,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Precedent Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 630 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.