Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Earns Overweight Rating from Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated their overweight rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $215.00 target price on the stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. HSBC raised Johnson & Johnson from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a neutral rating and a $160.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Sunday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned 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 $174.07.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of JNJ opened at $146.42 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $352.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $175.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $148.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.05.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 45.26%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.68 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st were given a $1.24 dividend. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Disciplined Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.