By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report)’s stock price shot up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $143.85 and last traded at $143.07. 1,793,724 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 7,099,075 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.06.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $166.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.71.
Get Our Latest Report on Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson Price Performance
The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.12 and a 200 day moving average of $156.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $348.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.95, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.
Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend
The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 71.78%.
Insider Activity
In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Vinva Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,988,000 after buying an additional 7,110 shares in the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 185,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,996,000 after acquiring an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 22,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,667,000 after purchasing an additional 3,710 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,639,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,858,543,000 after buying an additional 102,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,859,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.
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.
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