Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Short Interest Up 9.1% in January

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 18,760,000 shares, an increase of 9.1% from the January 15th total of 17,200,000 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 8,630,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:JNJ opened at $156.20 on Tuesday. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $147.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.95. The company has a market capitalization of $376.08 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.35% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 74.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lowered 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.67.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.