Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Sets New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Johnson & Johnson's stock reached a new 52-week high of $181.25, closing at $181.14 with a trading volume of over 3.4 million shares.
• The company had a strong quarterly performance, reporting $2.77 earnings per share and revenue of $23.74 billion, surpassing analyst estimates.
• Johnson & Johnson's current consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with a price target of $181.40 set by analysts.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $181.25 and last traded at $181.14, with a volume of 3435504 shares. The stock had previously closed at $179.71.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.40.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.1%

The firm's 50 day moving average is $174.41 and its 200 day moving average is $162.05. The company has a market cap of $437.43 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $23.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.85 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 25.00% and a return on equity of 32.49%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.82 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.800-10.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 26th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.61%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total transaction of $10,041,108.51. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 178,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,652,491.53. The trade was a 24.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 237,047,859 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,209,060,000 after buying an additional 3,085,180 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,609,476 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,227,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,676 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at $4,877,174,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 30,943,820 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,131,723,000 after buying an additional 130,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.7% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 23,802,503 shares of the company's stock worth $3,635,832,000 after acquiring an additional 620,039 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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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