Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $171.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $167.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $173.21.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $0.40 on Thursday, hitting $160.62. 4,395,866 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,354,407. The company has a market cap of $386.56 billion, a PE ratio of 9.99, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $175.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $150.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.16.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $22.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 46.34% and a return on equity of 36.60%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.07 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.92%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth about $43,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.