Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 2.3% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) dropped 2.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $235.93 and last traded at $239.65. Approximately 9,335,018 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 0% from the average daily volume of 9,320,393 shares. The stock had previously closed at $245.30.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval of TECVAYLI® plus DARZALEX FASPRO® for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma — approval was based on strong Phase 3 results showing significant improvements in progression‑free and overall survival, and J&J positions the combo as a potential new standard of care as early as second line. This materially expands the company’s oncology commercial opportunity and is the main catalyst lifting sentiment. PR Newswire: J&J FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in dividend lists / dividend‑aristocrat coverage — recent articles cite JNJ among Dividend Kings/Aristocrats, reinforcing its appeal to income and defensive investors given decades of payout growth. That supports demand from dividend‑focused funds and conservative investors. 24/7 Wall St.: Dividend Kings
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $225 to $250 but kept a “neutral” rating — the PT lift signals modest analyst upside recognition of recent catalysts, though the unchanged rating tempers near‑term conviction. Benzinga: JPMorgan price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Direct‑to‑consumer website launch — J&J rolled out a site to sell certain drugs directly to U.S. patients who are uninsured or pay out‑of‑pocket; potential to improve access and margin over time, but impact on revenue is unclear near term. Reuters: direct-to-consumer site
• Negative Sentiment: $65 million Tracleer antitrust settlement — two J&J units agreed to pay $65M to resolve a class action alleging overcharges for the pulmonary hypertension drug; materiality is modest relative to J&J’s scale but it is a headline legal expense. Reuters: Tracleer settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term price volatility / recent pullback — a few market reports noted a day‑over‑day decline ahead of the approval news; investors should be prepared for swings as the market digests launch timing, uptake and reimbursement dynamics. Zacks: recent decline

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $227.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.87.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $579.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $228.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.01.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $24.28 billion for the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.04% and a net margin of 28.46%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 47.06%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total value of $324,762.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,251,310.02. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,502,000 after acquiring an additional 6,332 shares during the period. United Bank increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,539,000 after purchasing an additional 4,876 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the second quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,255,000 after purchasing an additional 6,584 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.