Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $173.21.

JNJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Daiwa America lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,131,683.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $165.52 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $398.45 billion, a PE ratio of 10.32, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s fifty day moving average is $159.55 and its 200 day moving average is $153.94. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $168.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $22.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

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.