Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Lowered to “Buy” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday morning.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on JNJ. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.29.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.5 %

JNJ opened at $147.03 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $168.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $148.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.96. 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 company has a market cap of $353.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.51.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 35.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC now owns 2,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Veracity Capital LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 3,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 5,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Red Door Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 27.3% during the 4th quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 65,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,414,000 after purchasing an additional 13,962 shares during the period. 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.