Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 0.6% – Should You Sell?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price fell 0.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $151.06 and last traded at $151.90. 1,750,990 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 9,380,048 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on JNJ. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.44.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $362.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $147.81 and a 200 day moving average of $156.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.35% and a net margin of 18.20%. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.56 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.29%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 74.59%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

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

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 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.