Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 0.4% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose 0.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $153.74 and last traded at $153.74. Approximately 1,316,113 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 7,008,657 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup increased 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $373.52 billion, a PE ratio of 22.45, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $160.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.21.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.66 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 22.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth about $765,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,488,000 after acquiring an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. QVR LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth about $478,000. Finally, Lavaca Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Lavaca Capital LLC now owns 6,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.