Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Down 0.2% on Insider Selling

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) dropped 0.2% on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $161.73 and last traded at $162.82. Approximately 2,146,395 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 9,057,179 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.08.

Specifically, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. The trade was a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 25th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $170.67.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $150.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.02. The company has a market capitalization of $402.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Wealth Group Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.3% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,215,108 shares of the company's stock worth $358,980,000 after purchasing an additional 111,570 shares in the last quarter. Values Added Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Values Added Financial LLC now owns 1,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. W Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 9,116 shares of the company's stock worth $1,477,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Shepherd Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% during the third quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC now owns 11,091 shares of the company's stock worth $1,797,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.