Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Down 0.2% – Here’s Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares fell 0.2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $148.33 and last traded at $149.25. 2,521,903 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 7,066,104 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JNJ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $353.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $157.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.35.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.66 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 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.