Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0.3% on Insider Buying Activity

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price shot up 0.3% on Thursday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $147.77 and last traded at $147.03. 1,681,589 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 7,099,400 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.64.

Specifically, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Seven investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $352.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $156.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.28.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $1.24 dividend. 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 3.38%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.