Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 2% – Here’s What Happened

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price traded down 2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $267.37 and last traded at $268.06. Approximately 6,451,552 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 8,271,416 shares. The stock had previously closed at $273.41.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted 510(k) clearance for the MONARCH QUEST 3 robotic bronchoscopy update. The system adds artificial-intelligence-powered planning, navigation and imaging capabilities, strengthening J&J’s position in the expanding robotic-assisted medical-procedure market. Johnson & Johnson Wins FDA 510(k) Clearance for MONARCH QUEST 3 Update
• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved TECVAYLI combined with daratumumab for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The decision was supported by Phase 3 results showing statistically significant progression-free and overall-survival improvements versus standard treatments, potentially expanding sales of J&J’s oncology portfolio. European Commission approves Johnson & Johnson’s TECVAYLI plus daratumumab
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to favor J&J as a dividend-focused healthcare investment, citing its diversified operations and pipeline strength. Recent quarterly results also showed adjusted earnings and revenue ahead of consensus, with revenue up 6.6% year over year and full-year 2026 earnings guidance maintained at $11.60–$11.75 per share. Merck vs. J&J: Which Healthcare Giant Should Investors Choose?
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J’s potential interest in Seaport Therapeutics highlights continued investor focus on neuroscience and business-development opportunities, but no transaction has been announced. Why Bristol Myers, Johnson & Johnson and More Are Watching Seaport After IPO
• Negative Sentiment: Patent-protection losses remain a longer-term risk for several established drugs, although new medicines and recent approvals could help offset declining legacy-product sales. Johnson & Johnson Just Sent Shareholders an Important Message About Its Future

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. HSBC set a $290.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.22.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $255.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $242.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $652.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 32.42%. The company had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.61 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 62.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.27, for a total transaction of $5,792,778.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,779,963.81. This trade represents a 50.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total value of $4,090,926.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,994 shares in the company, valued at $4,367,458. This trade represents a 48.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 63,972 shares of company stock worth $16,245,605 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,740,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731,074 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,704,364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663,782 shares in the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake 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 worth $1,436,633,000 after buying an additional 69,108,368 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% during 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 buying an additional 1,738,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,924,523,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.