Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 0.8% Higher

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose 0.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $162.92 and last traded at $162.67. Approximately 615,748 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 7,109,610 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on JNJ. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. TD Securities dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.0 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market cap of $388.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.21.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 30.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the company’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 owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 9,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,454,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 66.3% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after acquiring an additional 5,680 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,446,000. Finally, Partners Capital Investment Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. Partners Capital Investment Group LLP now owns 5,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $865,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.