Short Interest in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Drops By 6.3%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 16,460,000 shares, a decline of 6.3% from the December 31st total of 17,570,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 7,520,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.5 %

JNJ traded down $0.78 during trading on Friday, reaching $152.09. 8,457,737 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,773,020. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $147.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $366.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.51. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $140.68 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.35% and a net margin of 18.20%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on JNJ. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $160.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Leerink Partners cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $182.00 to $169.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Weinberger acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $147.22 per share, for a total transaction of $147,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $147,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Quarry LP bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth about $49,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 14.2% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 425,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,985,000 after buying an additional 52,997 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 490,381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,471,000 after buying an additional 31,766 shares during the last quarter. Wiser Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $260,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 82,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,335,000 after acquiring an additional 10,664 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.