Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $174.71.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Graypoint LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 18,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,636,000 after buying an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $941,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 56,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,181,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Capital Advisors llc lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 43,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,324,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:JNJ opened at $142.07 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $149.67 and its 200-day moving average is $156.05. 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 has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $168.85. The firm has a market cap of $342.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.66 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

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

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.