Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Down 1.9% – Here’s Why

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price fell 1.9% on Friday . The company traded as low as $240.28 and last traded at $242.2740. 13,518,863 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 42% from the average session volume of 9,541,860 shares. The stock had previously closed at $246.91.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Clinical and regulatory wins for oncology: J&J reported strong Phase 1b/2 data for subcutaneous amivantamab (RYBREVANT FASPRO) in head & neck cancer and has received FDA Breakthrough Therapy attention and a separate monthly‑dosing approval that can improve patient convenience and commercial uptake. These outcomes support the pharma growth story and were cited as a reason for recent buying interest. RYBREVANT clinical results
• Positive Sentiment: Potential strategic catalyst: reports say J&J is preparing a possible ~$20B sale of its orthopedics unit — a deal could unlock value, boost cash for buybacks/dividends or speed a planned separation, which traders view as a material upside catalyst if executed. Reuters on orthopedics sale
• Positive Sentiment: Capital investment and dividend support: J&J announced a $1B investment in a Pennsylvania cell‑therapy facility and recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 — both reinforce the company’s long‑term growth capacity and income appeal for dividend investors. Fox Business on $1B investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Options and sentiment flow: unusually high call buying (41,649 calls, ~45% above typical daily call volume) and amplified options chatter are increasing intraday volatility and can intensify moves without changing fundamentals — watch open interest and directional concentration. Benzinga on options trends
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive post‑earnings momentum: coverage (Zacks/TipRanks/others) notes JNJ is up since earnings as investors re‑rate pharma catalysts and dividends — helpful for sentiment but incremental vs. material corporate events. Zacks on post‑earnings move
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caveat: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target to $210 but kept a “neutral” rating — the PT sits below the current share price, signaling downside risk and giving traders a reason to trim positions. MarketScreener on Rothschild PT
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: recent sales by senior executives (disclosed Form 4s) are prompting some investor concern about near‑term profit‑taking and are adding selling pressure. SEC filing on insider sell
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: ongoing talc litigation and verdict coverage continue to create valuation uncertainty and cap multiple expansion despite operational positives. Yahoo Finance on talc risk

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on JNJ. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $220.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $232.70.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.9%

The stock has a market capitalization of $583.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $220.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $198.55.

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

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total transaction of $5,527,477.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,540,469.77. This trade represents a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Clark Asset Management LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 51.6% in the 2nd quarter. Clark Asset Management LLC now owns 8,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,357,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 632.0% during the third quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 89,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,536,000 after purchasing an additional 77,000 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% in the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 130,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,769 shares during the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 1,383,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,216,000 after buying an additional 5,994 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 1,234,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $188,638,000 after buying an additional 94,957 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.