Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 1.4%

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) were down 1.4% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $143.67 and last traded at $145.48. Approximately 3,907,928 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 7,062,938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.59.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $177.31.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $348.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $157.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.90.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 37.27% and a net margin of 37.79%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.68 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a $1.24 dividend. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 34.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 90,144.4% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 54,386,720 shares of the company's stock worth $9,607,414,000 after buying an additional 54,326,454 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,609,399,000. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 42,224,521 shares of the company's stock worth $7,458,962,000 after buying an additional 4,521,062 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 61.0% in the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,287,765 shares of the company's stock worth $1,868,351,000 after purchasing an additional 4,278,512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 22,104,221 shares of the company's stock worth $3,464,617,000 after purchasing an additional 4,021,883 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.