Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0% – Still a Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was up 0% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $146.05 and last traded at $144.79. Approximately 1,549,967 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 7,626,000 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on JNJ shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.71.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $349.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The business 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 71.78%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $40,000. 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.