Short Interest in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Declines By 14.3%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 19,740,000 shares, a decrease of 14.3% from the September 15th total of 23,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,550,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.1 %

JNJ stock traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $164.28. The stock had a trading volume of 5,981,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,044,824. The stock has a market capitalization of $395.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.26, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $143.13 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The company has a fifty day moving average of $162.70 and a 200 day moving average of $154.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.66 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. TD Securities decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.93.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,826,000 after purchasing an additional 978 shares in the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 23,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,885,000 after purchasing an additional 2,981 shares in the last quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 19,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,200,000 after acquiring an additional 1,189 shares in the last quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 24,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,998,000 after buying an additional 582 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Probity Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 10,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,735,000 after buying an additional 179 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.