Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 1.1% Higher – Time to Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price was up 1.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $167.75 and last traded at $167.58. Approximately 1,664,927 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 6,990,104 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.83.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on JNJ shares. Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 25th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have 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 $171.33.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.6 %

The firm has a market cap of $401.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $152.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aegis Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $490,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $174,000. TFR Capital LLC. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $313,000. Copley Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,320 shares of the company’s stock worth $625,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $611,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.