Johnson & Johnson Shares Fall after Posting Flat Q4 Results (JNJ)

Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) on Tuesday said its fourth quarter profit was mostly flat from last year, matching analyst estimates, but revenue fell short of expectations.

The New Brunswick, NJ-based company reported fourth quarter net income of $2.86 billion, or $1.03 per share, compared with $2.85 billion, or $1.02 per share, in the year-ago period.

Revenue fell more than 5% from last year to $15.64 billion.

On average, Wall Street analysts expected a matching profit of $1.03 per share, albeit on higher revenue of $16.02 billion.

Johnson & Johnson shares fell $1.54, or -2.5%, in premarket trading Tuesday.

The Bottom Line
We have been recommending shares of Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) since Oct.8, 2009, when the stock was trading at $60.71. The company has a 3.47% dividend yield, based on last night's closing stock price of $62.22.

Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) is a "Recommended" dividend stock, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .