Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $1.24 on December 10th

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, October 15th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of 1.24 per share on Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th.

Johnson & Johnson has raised its dividend payment by an average of 5.7% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 63 consecutive years. Johnson & Johnson has a dividend payout ratio of 46.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Johnson & Johnson to earn $10.54 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.96 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 47.1%.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $155.17 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $143.13 and a 52-week high of $168.85. The stock has a market cap of $373.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50 day moving average is $160.21 and its 200 day moving average is $156.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 22.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.