Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Down 0.3% – Should You Sell?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price was down 0.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $156.08 and last traded at $156.73. Approximately 1,224,297 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 8,854,394 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 25th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.67.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $147.87 and a 200-day moving average of $156.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market cap of $376.08 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 34.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, Director Mark A. Weinberger purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $147.22 per share, with a total value of $147,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $147,220. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 5,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $817,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 25,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,726,000 after buying an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 4,135 shares of the company’s stock worth $598,000 after buying an additional 1,297 shares during the period. Wahed Invest LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 62,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,982,000 after acquiring an additional 3,807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pennington Partners & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $415,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.