Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $233.7273.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $220.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Daiwa Securities Group upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $232.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly praised J&J on-air, calling the company “amazing,” which can boost retail investor interest and provide short-term support for the stock. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Is Amazing, Says Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street Zen cut JNJ to a Hold, signaling reduced upside conviction from at least one boutique research provider; that can temper buying enthusiasm but is not a major institutional downgrade. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen
• Negative Sentiment: A Pennsylvania jury found J&J liable in a talc/ovarian-cancer case and ordered $250,000 in damages to the family of Gayle Emerson — a reminder that ongoing talc litigation continues to create legal costs, uncertainty and headline risk for the company. Jury: Johnson & Johnson Liable in Case Linking Baby Powder to Cancer

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $243.37 on Monday. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $141.50 and a twelve month high of $246.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $217.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $196.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $586.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.35.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.04% and a net margin of 28.46%.The firm had revenue of $24.28 billion during the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 47.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clark Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 51.6% during the second quarter. Clark Asset Management LLC now owns 8,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,357,000 after buying an additional 3,025 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 632.0% in the third quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 89,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,536,000 after acquiring an additional 77,000 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 130,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,769 shares in the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 1,383,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,216,000 after acquiring an additional 5,994 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 1,234,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $188,638,000 after purchasing an additional 94,957 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and previously consumer health. Founded in 1886 by the Johnson family, the company has grown into a global healthcare organization with operations and sales in many countries around the world.

The company’s pharmaceuticals business, organized largely under its Janssen research and development organization, focuses on prescription medicines across therapeutic areas such as immunology, infectious disease, oncology and neuroscience.