Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Down 1.3% – Time to Sell?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was down 1.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $152.05 and last traded at $152.75. Approximately 1,299,642 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 6,993,952 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on JNJ. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $368.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day moving average of $160.59 and a 200 day moving average of $156.17.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 22.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Passumpsic Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $262,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. Invst LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 394.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 8,207 shares during the period. Second Line Capital LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 39.3% during the 3rd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 5,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $965,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681 shares during the period. Finally, TCW Group Inc. raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 118,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,170,000 after purchasing an additional 3,422 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.