Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Falls 1.6% – Here’s Why

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Nov 5th, 2026

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) fell 1.6% on Tuesday. The company traded as low as $265.28 and last traded at $266.1040. Approximately 6,454,019 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 7,943,411 shares. The stock had previously closed at $270.56.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: State Street’s Health Care SPDR added J&J shares as part of a $175.3 million purchase across its portfolio, providing a modest institutional-demand signal. Article: State Street Health Care SPDR Adds Eli Lilly and J&J
Positive Sentiment: One analyst roundup described Wall Street as moderately bullish on J&J’s prospects, following the stock’s strong performance over the past year. Article: Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Johnson & Johnson Stock Will Climb or Sink?
Neutral Sentiment: Several articles highlighted J&J as a long-term dividend stock, including lists of companies with long records of annual payout increases. This supports its income-investment appeal, but the pieces offer no new company-specific dividend announcement. Article: 4 Dividend Kings That Could Pay You for the Rest of Your Retirement
Neutral Sentiment: A value-investing comparison examined J&J alongside Bayer, while another article addressed concerns that J&J shares may look expensive; the supplied headlines do not specify a valuation conclusion. Article: BAYRY vs. JNJ: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
Negative Sentiment: Smith+Nephew said merger discussions with J&J’s orthopaedics unit had failed. This removes a potential transaction, though the article headline provides no details on the talks’ terms or financial implications for J&J. Article: Smith+Nephew Cuts Outlook, Confirms Failed Merger Talks with J&J’s Orthopaedics Unit

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Freedom Capital raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $275.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Raymond James Financial set a $280.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $294.00 to $292.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.92.

View Our Latest Analysis on Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $655.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $265.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $248.01.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.38 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 16.20% and a return on equity of 31.64%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.21%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Jennifer Taubert sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total transaction of $3,950,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 194,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. The trade was a 7.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 33,597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.74, for a total value of $9,230,439.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,991,308.78. This represents a 56.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Smith Partners Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smith Partners Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $520,000 after buying an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 147,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,109,000 after buying an additional 18,023 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor Resource Council now owns 4,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,214,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 106,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,181,000 after acquiring an additional 5,215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBH Bank raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. NBH Bank now owns 11,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,102,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Johnson & Johnson

(Get Free Report)

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is a global healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Founded in 1886, the company develops and markets products and services for patients, healthcare professionals and institutions worldwide.

Johnson & Johnson operates through two principal segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Innovative Medicine focuses on pharmaceuticals for areas such as immunology, oncology, neuroscience, infectious diseases and cardiovascular conditions.