Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 0.9% - Here's Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 0.9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $151.46 and last traded at $150.93. Approximately 2,046,255 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 7,919,047 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Leerink Partners downgraded Johnson & Johnson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $169.00 to $153.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eleven equities 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, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.88.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.1%

The company has a fifty day moving average of $156.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.00. The company has a market cap of $364.05 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm'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 value of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares in the company, 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 company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 138.9% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 172 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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