Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 0.2% – Still a Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price traded up 0.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $164.54 and last traded at $163.16. 993,842 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 7,064,330 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.33.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $154.98 and a 200-day moving average of $156.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $392.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hara Capital LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $3,471,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $1,484,000. Campbell Deegan Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $528,000. Finally, Lighthouse Financial LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $421,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.