Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 1.1% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose 1.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $156.38 and last traded at $156.21. Approximately 888,886 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 7,042,332 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Citigroup upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $374.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $159.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.66 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 22.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter valued at approximately $765,000. Montchanin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter worth $290,000. Advisory Resource Group boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 15.0% during the first quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 25,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,961,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268 shares during the period. Wahed Invest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 47,617 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,533,000 after acquiring an additional 6,446 shares during the period. Finally, Cim LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Cim LLC now owns 11,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,819,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. 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.