Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0.8% – Time to Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price traded up 0.8% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $157.02 and last traded at $156.43. 1,170,596 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 7,027,271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.17.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on JNJ. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.6 %

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $159.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $374.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.53. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.66 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 71.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 22.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during 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 period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. 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.