Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Down 0.2% – Here’s Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price was down 0.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $151.51 and last traded at $152.37. Approximately 1,366,571 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 6,968,141 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on JNJ. Guggenheim raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, TD Securities dropped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given 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 an average target price of $175.00.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.9 %

The stock has a market cap of $365.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The business had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This represents a 22.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meridian Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth approximately $1,626,000. Lmcg Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 32.7% during the 3rd quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 87,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,125,000 after acquiring an additional 21,471 shares during the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 61,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,998,000 after acquiring an additional 4,174 shares during the period. Cooper Haims Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Cooper Haims Advisors LLC now owns 3,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trajan Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 11.3% in the third quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 32,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,347,000 after purchasing an additional 3,341 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by 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.