Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders bought 40,778 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 45% compared to the average volume of 28,147 call options.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:JNJ traded up $0.74 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $147.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,734,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,240,823. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $355.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $148.35 and a 200-day moving average of $156.11. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 30,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,440,000 after acquiring an additional 613 shares in the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 102,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,810,000 after purchasing an additional 1,667 shares during the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 11,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 62,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,993,000 after buying an additional 2,329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 61,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,965,000 after buying an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.29.

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.