Johnson & Johnson earned $3.49/share in 2011 and managed to grow earnings to $7.81/share in 2021. The company expected to earn between $10.53/share in 2022.
Johnson & Johnson has a diversified product line across medical devices, consumer products and drugs, which should serve it well in the future. This makes the company somewhat immune from economic cycles. Investors looking for a safe and dependable earnings can look no further than Johnson & Johnson. In addition, the company has strong competitive advantages due to its scale, leadership role in various diverse healthcare segments, breadth of product offerings in its global distribution channels, continued investment in R&D, high switching costs to users of its medical devices, as well as its stable financial position.
Future profits growth could come from new product offerings, which are the result of continued investment in research and development, and through strategic acquisitions.
Johnson & Johnson has managed to reduce number of shares outstanding over the past decade, which helped earnings per share growth. Between 2011 and 2021, the number of shares went from 2,775 million to 2,877 million and then declined to 2,674 million. The short bumps up were related to acquisitions. 
The company managed to grow its dividends by 7.40%/year over the past decade. The company's latest dividend increase was announced in April 2022 when the Board of Directors approved a 6.60% increase in the quarterly dividend to $1.13/share.
The dividend payout ratio has decreased from 64% in 2007 to 54% in 2021. The ability to generate strong cash flows, have enabled Johnson & Johnson to reward shareholders with higher dividends for 60 consecutive years. I believe that the dividend is safe today, but will likely be limited to future growth in earnings per share of 5% - 6%/year over the next decade. A lower payout is always a plus, since it leaves room for consistent dividend growth and minimize the impact of short-term fluctuations in earnings.
Currently, the stock is attractively valued at 16.90 times forward earnings, yields 2.45% and has a forward dividend payout ratio of 43%.
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