Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 0.1% Higher

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 0.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $147.22 and last traded at $146.29. 1,647,320 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 7,304,688 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.14.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $168.00 to $167.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $353.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.15, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.53. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $155.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.29.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.43%. The company's revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.68 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 105,355 shares of the company's stock worth $16,666,000 after acquiring an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Castle Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Castle Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,762 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,702,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 27.0% during the first quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 70,126 shares of the company's stock worth $11,093,000 after buying an additional 14,906 shares during the period. Finally, Monte Financial Group LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the first quarter. Monte Financial Group LLC now owns 30,226 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,781,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.