Johnson & Johnson Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:JNJ)

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 37,990 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 23% compared to the average volume of 30,785 call options.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ traded up $3.73 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $225.22. 3,915,709 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,240,383. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $141.50 and a twelve month high of $225.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $208.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $189.84. The firm has a market cap of $542.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.34.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.46. The firm had revenue of $24.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.14 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 28.46% and a return on equity of 33.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.430-11.630 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on JNJ shares. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.18.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,877,174,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 15,040.6% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,420,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,512,000 after buying an additional 7,371,687 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 545.6% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,865,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $716,657,000 after purchasing an additional 3,266,354 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 237,047,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,209,060,000 after acquiring an additional 3,085,180 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 19.3% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 13,354,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,512,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,163,838 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.