Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Rating Increased to Buy at HSBC

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was upgraded by investment analysts at HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $170.00 target price on the stock. HSBC’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 17.43% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on JNJ. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday. Bank of America cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Raymond James lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $144.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.16. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.39 and a 52 week high of $175.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $156.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $348.86 billion, a PE ratio of 9.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.43% and a net margin of 45.26%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Johnson & Johnson news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 4J Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. 4J Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. My Personal CFO LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. My Personal CFO LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $713,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 3,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Brookmont Capital Management lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Brookmont Capital Management now owns 14,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,328,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.