Analysts Set Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Price Target at $174.73

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.73.

JNJ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $166.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $144.47 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.30. The company has a market cap of $347.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G 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 has a twelve month low of $142.75 and a twelve month high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The company 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.66 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 71.78%.

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.