Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Rating Lowered by Leerink Partnrs

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was downgraded by Leerink Partnrs from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on JNJ. Leerink Partners cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Argus raised Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays reduced their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.88.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $146.39 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $352.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $140.68 and a 1 year high of $169.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $156.92 and a 200-day moving average of $154.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $21.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.65 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total value of $1,160,994.12. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,483,645.88. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. MRP Capital Investments LLC raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 1,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 2,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Elios Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% in the first quarter. Elios Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $742,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.