Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 0.6%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.6% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $148.31 and last traded at $148.32. 1,322,950 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 7,397,292 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.27.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.5 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $154.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.03. The stock has a market cap of $357.56 billion, a PE ratio of 9.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 45.26%. 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 company posted $2.68 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 29.68%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the business'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 transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. 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 hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massachusetts Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 16,105 shares of the company's stock worth $2,508,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Outfitter Financial LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Outfitter Financial LLC now owns 16,857 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% in the third quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 23,365 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,639,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.4% in the third quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 26,069 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,060,000 after buying an additional 1,562 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.1% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 7,094 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,105,000 after buying an additional 763 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.

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