JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) had its target price raised by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $225.00 to $250.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.32% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on JNJ. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Loop Capital set a $220.00 target price on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.87.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ stock traded down $5.65 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $239.65. The company had a trading volume of 8,987,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,298,613. The company has a market capitalization of $577.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.34. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $141.50 and a 52-week high of $251.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $227.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $203.31.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.04% and a net margin of 28.46%.The firm had revenue of $24.28 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total value of $5,527,477.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at $6,540,469.77. This trade represents a 45.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sierra Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Sierra Capital LLC now owns 8,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,685,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Broadleaf Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Broadleaf Partners LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,521,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Jessup Wealth Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,567,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Plancorp LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,288,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and previously consumer health. Founded in 1886 by the Johnson family, the company has grown into a global healthcare organization with operations and sales in many countries around the world.

The company’s pharmaceuticals business, organized largely under its Janssen research and development organization, focuses on prescription medicines across therapeutic areas such as immunology, infectious disease, oncology and neuroscience.