Analysts Set Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) PT at $174.73

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $174.73.

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $144.47 on Wednesday. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $142.75 and a 1 year high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50-day moving average of $155.16 and a 200 day moving average of $156.24. The firm has a market cap of $347.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.78%.

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.