Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 1.9% - Still a Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 1.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $147.18 and last traded at $146.44. 2,002,811 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average session volume of 5,310,445 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.71.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $151.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.25. The firm has a market cap of $351.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, 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 link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Range Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 509.9% in the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 13,357 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 11,167 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 2,250 shares of the company's stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 7,723 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,117,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. Pensionfund Sabic grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 49.2% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 27,300 shares of the company's stock worth $3,948,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,424,675 shares of the company's stock worth $926,438,000 after acquiring an additional 775,490 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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.