Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Up 0.4%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 0.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $149.73 and last traded at $149.18. 1,114,587 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 7,368,074 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on 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. HSBC upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.1 %

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $153.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.97. The firm has a market cap of $357.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.68 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.68%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,071,642,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,019,725 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,764,852,000 after purchasing an additional 3,391,657 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,945,533 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,483,532,000 after purchasing an additional 241,799 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 10,620,264 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,664,620,000 after buying an additional 498,647 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,169,190 shares of the company's stock worth $1,593,908,000 after purchasing an additional 975,485 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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.