Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Up 0.3% – Here’s Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price shot up 0.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $147.63 and last traded at $147.10. 1,935,969 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 8,953,900 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Leerink Partners cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.06.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.1 %

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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $155.99. The stock has a market cap of $353.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22,438,500 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the 3rd 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 period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.