Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Down 2.8% – Should You Sell?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price traded down 2.8% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $141.44 and last traded at $142.10. 11,169,455 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 42% from the average session volume of 7,858,281 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.23.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. 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 report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.71.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $342.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $149.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.99.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.66 EPS. Research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 71.78%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.