Short Interest in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Drops By 14.3%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) saw a significant decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 19,740,000 shares, a decrease of 14.3% from the September 15th total of 23,030,000 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,550,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE JNJ traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $164.28. 5,981,080 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,044,824. The stock has a market cap of $395.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s fifty day moving average is $162.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $143.13 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.66 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total value of $930,113.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $193,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $185,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $709,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,619,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,856,000 after buying an additional 53,116 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth $223,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.93.

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.