Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has just reported earnings which once again continue to impress here in 2017 which I have described as a key year for the company. What we need to see are solid and stable results each quarter with the realization that JNJ is a slow growing, dividend paying machine. It is a great name to own in a retirement account long-term. The company continues to grow earnings but you have to pick your spots to enter. When the name dips you have to seize the opportunity, and so long as earnings continue to be strong, the name will just continue to edge higher.

So how did the company do on the earnings front? The company's most recent quarter saw sales of $18.84 billion. This was a slight uptick in sales of 1.9% year-over-year. I was a bit surprised that this figure missed estimates slightly by $110 million. Like many other domestic U.S. companies, the changes in currency year-over-year are having a negative impact on the absolute numbers. That fact is that businesses with a lot of international business are hurting from the stronger dollar. Taken independently, operational sales results increased 2.9% and the negative impact of currency was 1.0%.

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