Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Down 2.1% – What’s Next?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price fell 2.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $237.22 and last traded at $238.1790. 7,099,391 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 9,038,657 shares. The stock had previously closed at $243.19.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approves Icotyde, a once‑daily oral IL‑23 receptor antagonist for moderate‑to‑severe plaque psoriasis — this is the first targeted oral peptide in the class and positions J&J to compete with blockbuster injectable IL‑23 drugs, supporting medium‑term revenue and margin upside. US FDA approves J&J’s oral psoriasis pill (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: J&J emphasizes the commercial potential of Icotyde (adult and pediatric label) — multiple outlets and the company release highlight strong phase‑3 data and a convenient oral dosing profile that could take share from injectables, a clear positive catalyst for growth and sales guidance revisions. Johnson & Johnson announces U.S. FDA approved Icotyde (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: HSBC raised its price target to $280 and reiterated Buy, citing healthcare strength and J&J’s re‑rating; Morgan Stanley kept a Buy and $262 PT, reinforcing the bullish analyst backdrop that helps push the stock higher. HSBC Raises Johnson & Johnson Price Target (American Banking News)
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile coverage and investor interest: Jim Cramer said JNJ “should have gone higher” and recommended buying (modestly), and bullish articles (e.g., The Motley Fool) are reinforcing retail interest. That helps explain intraday buying after the approval news. Jim Cramer on Johnson & Johnson (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $234 but kept an “equal weight” rating — this is a modest lift to estimates but not an outright endorsement, which may limit upside from some institutional investors. Barclays raises JNJ price target (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading context: volume remains below the stock’s average, and JNJ is trading above its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages — technicals support the rally but low volume suggests cautious conviction. Investors Heavily Search Johnson & Johnson (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent pullback: JNJ slid earlier when the broader market climbed, reflecting macro sensitivity (stagflation worries referenced by commentators) that could re‑pressure the stock if risk‑off conditions return. Johnson & Johnson Stock Slides as Market Rises (Yahoo)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on JNJ. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $240.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. One 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.91.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $573.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $233.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.76.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted 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 company had revenue of $24.28 billion during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This trade represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total value of $324,762.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,251,310.02. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,740,362,000 after buying an additional 3,731,074 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,704,364,000 after buying an additional 1,663,782 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,436,633,000 after acquiring an additional 69,108,368 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 57,953,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,967,947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,738,292 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $6,924,523,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.