Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Receives $177.31 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $177.31.

JNJ has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $144.45 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $348.09 billion, a PE ratio of 10.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $143.39 and a 1-year high of $175.97.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.68 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.66 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 34.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 183.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.