Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 1.5% - Here's Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 1.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $146.49 and last traded at $146.16. 2,321,943 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 9,421,073 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Benchmark upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Leerink Partners downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $169.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $170.88.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 1.4%

The company has a market cap of $352.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company's fifty day moving average price is $157.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.14.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $21.89 billion during 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%. Research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 57.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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