Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Up 1.2%

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) traded up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $153.22 and last traded at $153.12. 1,447,051 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 7,300,418 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 increased their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Bank of America decreased their price objective 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, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Seven research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $369.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.55, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $151.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.12.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The company had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.68 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter worth $31,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 183.3% during the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. WFA Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.