Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $170.88.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Leerink Partnrs downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $157.00 to $172.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.2%

NYSE:JNJ opened at $151.37 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $156.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.94. The company has a market capitalization of $364.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $169.99.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.84%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. MRP Capital Investments LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Syverson Strege & Co increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 1,394 shares of the company's stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 2,080 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Elios Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% during the first quarter. Elios Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,496 shares of the company's stock worth $746,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the company's stock worth $742,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. 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.

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