Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 0.3% - Should You Buy?

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) traded up 0.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $154.02 and last traded at $154.11. 1,237,558 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 7,940,270 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $157.00 to $172.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Benchmark raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Johnson & Johnson to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.88.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.0%

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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $155.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.80. The company has a market capitalization of $369.80 billion, a PE ratio of 23.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.24%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS 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 issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. 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. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Norges Bank bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,390,037,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,339,878,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,369,188,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 24,450.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,215,367 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,196,596,000 after purchasing an additional 7,185,977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 26.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 23,182,464 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,844,580,000 after purchasing an additional 4,842,582 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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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