Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 1.7% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Q1 beat and guidance raise: J&J reported revenue of $24.06B and $2.70 EPS (both beating estimates), set FY2026 EPS guidance of $11.45–$11.65 and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 (2.3% yield).
• Shares down despite positives: The stock traded down about 1.7% intraday to ~$234.57 amid profit‑taking and concerns that a Stelara biosimilar is weighing on legacy sales and near‑term margins.
• Analyst upgrades and targets: Multiple sell‑side firms raised price targets (consensus ~$251.52, with Argus at $275), leaving the consensus rating around "Moderate Buy."

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 1.7% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $232.12 and last traded at $234.5710. 8,560,832 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 8,642,327 shares. The stock had previously closed at $238.67.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: J&J reported a Q1 beat, raised 2026 sales and EPS outlook and announced a quarterly dividend increase, reinforcing the company's cash‑flow and income story. This is the primary bullish driver underpinning analyst upgrades and investor interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple sell‑side firms lifted price targets after Q1 (Goldman, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan, Raymond James, Sanford Bernstein and others), signaling refreshed upside in consensus estimates and supporting medium‑term share appreciation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Argus notably raised its price target to $275 and kept a buy rating — one of the larger upward revisions, giving an outsized bullish signal to income and growth investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: J&J management outlined a plan to hit ~$100B revenue and double‑digit growth ambitions by 2030, driven by Innovative Medicines and MedTech, which supports a longer‑term growth narrative beyond near‑term headwinds. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson will present at the Bank of America Healthcare Conference in May — a potential near‑term catalyst where management may provide further detail on growth drivers and pipeline timing. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J sold rights to a gene‑therapy asset (botaretigene sparoparvovec) to MeiraGTx — a portfolio pruning move that could free resources but has limited immediate earnings impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and company commentary flagged a continued Stelara biosimilar drag on legacy sales; management acknowledged headwinds even as newer oncology and psoriasis launches accelerate — a reminder of near‑term margin and sales risk. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite fundamentals, the shares are trading lower today — coverage notes suggest profit‑taking and valuation consolidation after the recent run, meaning short‑term price weakness can occur even with positive fundamental news. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital set a $220.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $251.52.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $564.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a 50 day moving average of $241.67 and a 200 day moving average of $216.53.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.75% and a net margin of 21.83%.The firm had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson's revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 61.97%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total value of $5,527,477.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blueline Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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