Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 1.1% Higher

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price rose 1.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $148.30 and last traded at $147.98. Approximately 1,094,519 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 7,415,911 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.07.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $355.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $154.87.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The company had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st were given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Disciplined Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.