Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 1% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares fell about 1% to roughly $227.51 on Friday with trading volume ~25% below average, reflecting near‑term selling pressure despite the stock’s large market cap (~$547.7B).
• Johnson & Johnson beat Q1 expectations (EPS $2.70 vs. $2.68; revenue $24.06B vs. $23.60B) and set FY2026 guidance of 11.45–11.65 EPS, roughly in line with analysts' forecast of 11.57.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 (annualized $5.36, yield 2.4%), and analysts maintain a consensus of Moderate Buy with a $252.48 target (18 Buy vs. 9 Hold ratings).

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 1% on Friday . The company traded as low as $227.02 and last traded at $227.5070. Approximately 6,397,788 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 8,550,324 shares. The stock had previously closed at $229.85.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and retail-finance outlets renewed focus on JNJ’s dividend durability and income appeal, reinforcing the stock’s attraction for income investors; that supports long-term demand. Why Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio Zacks: Why JNJ is a Top Dividend Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Clinical pipeline update: J&J highlighted sustained efficacy in its Vivacity‑MG3 trial (IMAAVY/nipocalimab) — positive for long‑term growth potential in neuromuscular therapeutics if regulatory progress continues. JNJ Highlights Sustained Efficacy in Vivacity-MG3 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate governance/IR: J&J named Ryan Koors VP of Investor Relations — a stabilizing move ahead of upcoming investor outreach that can help messaging around guidance and capital allocation. Johnson & Johnson Appoints Ryan Koors as Vice President, Investor Relations
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/sector news: AbbVie is being highlighted for durable growth into the mid‑2030s — reflects positive sentiment toward large pharma but also underscores competition for investor capital within healthcare. AbbVie Expected to Post Durable Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Related personnel moves: Halozyme’s executive hiring notes include ex‑J&J connections — a reminder of talent flows inside the sector but with limited direct impact on JNJ’s fundamentals. Halozyme Appoints New Chief Financial Officer
• Negative Sentiment: Market rotation toward AI/growth and strong tech engagement (e.g., Microsoft Copilot adoption) can pull capital away from defensive/dividend names like JNJ, contributing to near‑term selling pressure. Microsoft says it has over 20M paid Copilot users

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $274.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Loop Capital set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $252.48.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 1.0%

The business's 50-day moving average price is $238.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $219.50. The company has a market capitalization of $547.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 61.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of Johnson & Johnson 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% in the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family CFO Inc bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.