Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $1.24

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, April 16th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of 1.24 per share on Tuesday, June 4th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19.

Johnson & Johnson has increased its dividend by an average of 5.7% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 62 years. Johnson & Johnson has a dividend payout ratio of 43.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Johnson & Johnson to earn $10.97 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 43.4%.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of JNJ opened at $147.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $355.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $144.95 and a 12-month high of $175.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $157.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.90.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.68 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on JNJ. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.31.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 528.6% in the 4th quarter. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. now owns 308 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Aspect Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $91,000. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $98,000. Mango Five Family Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $110,000. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $116,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.