Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 0.4% – What’s Next?

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shot up 0.4% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $145.85 and last traded at $145.85. 3,164,071 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 7,194,873 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.27.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.35. The company has a market capitalization of $351.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.66 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.