Morgan Stanley Lowers Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Price Target to $167.00

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) had its target price reduced by Morgan Stanley from $168.00 to $167.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on JNJ. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $181.00 to $175.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $175.86.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:JNJ opened at $147.93 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $156.15 and a 200 day moving average of $155.63. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.13 and a 52 week high of $175.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $356.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 36.43%. The company had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $96,142.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 4J Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. 4J Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. My Personal CFO LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. My Personal CFO LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $713,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Eagle Strategies LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 3,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $563,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $685,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Brookmont Capital Management raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Brookmont Capital Management now owns 14,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,328,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.