Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Rating) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating , four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $182.42.

Several research firms recently issued reports on JNJ. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $194.00 to $190.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 19th. Barclays began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, October 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Credit Suisse Group began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, November 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock . Citigroup boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $198.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $178.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 14th.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE: JNJ opened at $177.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $174.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $171.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $464.02 billion, a PE ratio of 24.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.57. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $155.72 and a 1 year high of $186.69.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 18th. The company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.37% and a net margin of 19.95%. The company had revenue of $23.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 22nd were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 21st. This represents a $4.52 dividend annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.95%.

Johnson & Johnson announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, September 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 1.2% of its shares mark through chase open Buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 76,923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.78, for a total transaction of $13,594,447. completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 126,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,354,891.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through Peter V other hyperlink. Fasolo sold 22,864 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.50, for a total transaction of $3,761,128.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owns 6 7 direct6 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,864,202. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 76,923 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.78, for a total value of $13,598,447.94. Following the transaction, the executive now d owns 126,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,354,891.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 300,750 shares of company stock valued at $52,311,677 in the last ninety days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. additional 2,815,655 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 200,799,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,587,638,000 after buying an additional 777,837 shares during the last quarter . State Street Corp grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 141,886,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,178,548,000 after buying an additional 803,013 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 32,772,594 shares of the company y’s stock valued at $5,808,286,000 after buying an additional 265,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,070,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,683,837,000 after buying an additional 509,818 shares during the last quarter. 67.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches and develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company’s Consumer Health segment offers baby care products under the JOHNSON’S and AVEENO Baby INTER ISTER brands; oral care under the Lbrs skin health/beauty products under the AVEENO, CLEAN & CLEAR, DR.

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