Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Gap Down After Analyst Downgrade

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday after Barclays lowered their price target on the stock from $160.00 to $159.00. The stock had previously closed at $148.15, but opened at $144.00. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Johnson & Johnson shares last traded at $143.57, with a volume of 3,110,293 shares changing hands.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. 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 research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $173.27.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company’s 50 day moving average is $148.26 and its 200 day moving average is $156.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $350.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22,438,500 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.29 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 71.78%.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.