Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Guggenheim Analyst Says

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) had its price target raised by Guggenheim from $156.00 to $162.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Guggenheim currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on JNJ. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.00.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of JNJ traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $156.83. 1,173,398 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,953,800. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $162.96 and its 200-day moving average is $155.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $143.13 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85. The company has a market cap of $377.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued 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 company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 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, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 400.0% in the third quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.