Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $170.88.

Several research firms have weighed in on JNJ. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Leerink Partners cut Johnson & Johnson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $169.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of JNJ opened at $155.90 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $153.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $375.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.41. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $169.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.46% and a net margin of 24.42%. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 57.84%.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.

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