Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 1.1% Higher – Still a Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares were up 1.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $206.12 and last traded at $206.07. Approximately 14,736,894 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 65% from the average daily volume of 8,929,916 shares. The stock had previously closed at $203.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on JNJ. Scotiabank began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Johnson Rice set a $190.00 target price on Johnson & Johnson and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $213.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.05.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.5%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $189.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.50. The firm has a market cap of $500.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 30th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $24.02 billion for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.73% and a net margin of 27.26%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 50.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total transaction of $10,041,108.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 178,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,652,491.53. This trade represents a 24.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 96.3% during the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 738 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $133,000. Connors Investor Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.0% during the third quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc. now owns 3,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $640,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at $813,000. Finally, Manhattan West Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% in the third quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC now owns 13,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,513,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.