Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Downgraded by Leerink Partners to Market Perform

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Leerink Partners from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a $153.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $169.00. Leerink Partners' price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.41% from the company's previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Benchmark upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $164.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus upgraded Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.88.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of JNJ traded up $3.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $149.40. 7,896,409 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,941,847. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $156.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $154.09. The company has a market cap of $359.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $140.68 and a 1-year high of $169.99. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total transaction of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IFS Advisors LLC increased 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.