Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $1.24 on March 4th

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, January 2nd,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of 1.24 per share on Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th.

Johnson & Johnson has increased its dividend payment by an average of 5.7% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 63 years. Johnson & Johnson has a dividend payout ratio of 46.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Johnson & Johnson to earn $10.55 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.96 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 47.0%.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $144.19 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $142.75 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $347.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.87, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $22.47 billion for 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.66 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.71.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.