Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $174.73.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on JNJ. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price 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.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.8 %

JNJ stock opened at $146.39 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $352.45 billion, a PE ratio of 21.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $143.13 and a twelve month high of $168.85.

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%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.