Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 0.1%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price fell 0.1% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $145.95 and last traded at $146.66. 1,348,256 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 7,317,808 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.82.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Raymond James increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, April 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $155.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $352.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.14, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.43%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.68 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 29.68%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SlateStone Wealth LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 63.7% in the 1st quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 63,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,026,000 after acquiring an additional 24,660 shares during the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 201,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,818,000 after purchasing an additional 2,831 shares in the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 7,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% during the first quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 19,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,034,000 after buying an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% in the first quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,516,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. 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.