Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 0.7% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) traded down 0.7% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $153.43 and last traded at $153.48. 955,913 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 7,048,502 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on JNJ. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.1 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $159.98 and a 200-day moving average of $156.36. The company has a market capitalization of $371.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 22.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 11.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 186,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,283,000 after purchasing an additional 18,605 shares during the last quarter. Destination Wealth Management increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.7% during the third quarter. Destination Wealth Management now owns 268,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,519,000 after buying an additional 7,133 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 112.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 501,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,214,000 after purchasing an additional 265,215 shares during the period. Arvest Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $14,341,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 189.5% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 82,736 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,408,000 after purchasing an additional 54,162 shares during 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.