Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0.6% – Time to Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) traded up 0.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $144.56 and last traded at $144.21. 1,114,783 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 7,150,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on JNJ. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $166.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9 %

The company’s fifty day moving average is $152.12 and its 200-day moving average is $156.23. The company has a market capitalization of $348.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 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 business had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ? increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% in the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,988,000 after purchasing an additional 7,110 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,996,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares during the period. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 3,710 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,858,543,000 after buying an additional 102,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth approximately $69,859,000. 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.