J&J... When Beating Earnings Hits A Headwind (JNJ)

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) managed to marginally beat earnings expectations this Tuesday morning.  This is the first of the consumer products and medical products companies to report, so this one could have a heavier impact depending on what is said. 

The company beat earnings at $1.13 EPS and sales rose almost 4% to $16.25 billion; estimates were $1.09 EPS and $16.28 billion in sales from Thomson Reuters.  The company noted that operational sales were up 4.0% and its negative currency impact was only 0.1% as domestic sales fell by 3.4% and international sales rose by just over 10% in the quarter.

For the Fiscal Year 2012, J&J sees earnings of $5.05 to $5.15 EPS and that is a bit shy of the $5.21 consensus target based upon operational growth of down slightly to as high as 5.5% and based upon a negative currency impact of around 2.5%.

J&J’s guidance is weighing on the stock.  Shares are indicated down 0.75% at $64.50 against a 52-week trading range of $57.50 to $68.05 and versus a Thomson Reuters consensus price target of $73.00.

The report has remained better than many may have guessed considering all of the product problems before.  Unfortunately, there is little driving force here that stands out as great opportunity.

JON C. OGG