Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 0.5% – Time to Sell?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price was down 0.5% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $143.49 and last traded at $143.79. Approximately 1,497,384 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 7,181,067 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.47.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $166.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.73.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $154.46 and its 200 day moving average is $156.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $351.15 billion, a PE ratio of 21.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mark A. Weinberger bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 58.7% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.