Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Down 0.3%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares traded down 0.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $148.16 and last traded at $148.72. 835,709 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 7,378,311 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.12.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on JNJ. HSBC upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Bank of America decreased 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 report on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $160.00 target price for the company. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $174.07.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.3 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $148.13 and its 200-day moving average is $154.24. 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 firm has a market cap of $353.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.68 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 20th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 30.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. WFA Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Disciplined Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.