# How Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/jnj
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on JNJ alone. It places JNJ (Johnson & Johnson) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where JNJ stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: JNJ's full trading record, from October 1986 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** Its pharmaceutical peers split over the past 6 months: ABBV (AbbVie) rose 43.8%, while AZN (AstraZeneca) fell 15.3%. Over the past 6 months, JNJ rose 13.6% against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Stock or market?:** JNJ rose 4.8% over the past 3 months, in line with the pharmaceuticals ETF IHE (iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF), which rose 5.0%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its pharmaceutical peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: MRK (Merck & Co., Inc.) rose 19.9%, while NVO (Novo Nordisk A/S) fell 20.0%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** JNJ has run far ahead of the market, rising 36.9% over the past year against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. JNJ lagged its pharmaceutical peers in 2023, then moved up the pack in 2025.
- **Long term:** JNJ turned $10,000 into $29,600 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, JNJ has typically lost about 68% as much as the S&P 500. In the 2022 bear market, JNJ fell 12.7%, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than LLY (Eli Lilly and Company, 11.7%) but less than ABBV (AbbVie, 21.9%).
- **Diversification:** JNJ is a real diversifier: a correlation of 0.19 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.19 with the total US market, less closely than 87% of stocks worth at least $300 million. JNJ moves far less with the S&P 500 than it used to, with a correlation of 0.19 over the past 5 years against 0.65 in the 5 years before.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** CAH (Cardinal Health, health care distribution) and MCK (McKesson, health care distribution) were ahead of JNJ in most short and long periods, though with much bigger swings (24.7% and 25.0% volatility against 17.9%).
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 18 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than JNJ with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them KO (Coca-Cola), AVLV (Avantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETF) and DFIV (Dimensional - International Value ETF).

## How much would $10,000 in JNJ have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in JNJ over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of JNJ over the same span and JNJ's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in JNJ at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $189,226 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of JNJ, and GILD finished highest, at $1,571,438.

## JNJ at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- JNJ's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 38.1%, from August to October 1987. It took 19 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, JNJ's best was 2025, when it returned 47.5%, and its worst was 2023, when it lost 8.6%. It lost money in eight of those years.
- JNJ is 6.9% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Healthcare (Drug Manufacturers - General)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $625B
- Volatility (5 years): 17.9%; Sharpe ratio: 0.76
- Worst decline ever: −38.1%, from August 25, 1987 to October 19, 1987; back at its high by May 19, 1989

| Period | JNJ total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −3.8% |
| 3 months | +4.8% |
| 6 months | +13.6% |
| year to date | +27.1% |
| 1 year | +36.9% |
| 3 years | +84.6% |
| 5 years | +82.1% |
| 10 years | +196% |

## JNJ against the whole market

Where JNJ ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does JNJ rank among all stocks?

This section ranks JNJ on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- JNJ's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 1% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | JNJ | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +36.9% | 801 of 3,287 (top 25%) |
| 3-year return | +84.6% | 1,077 of 3,017 (top 36%) |
| 5-year return | +82.1% | 803 of 2,893 (top 28%) |
| 10-year return | +196% | 876 of 2,202 (top 40%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 17.9% | 45 of 2,893 (top 2%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.76 | 343 of 2,893 (top 12%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −27.4% | 10 of 2,187 (top 1%) |

### What has beaten JNJ on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- One stock and 17 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than JNJ over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is fewer than 1% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half JNJ's swings, LVHI has the best return for its risk: 17.0% a year at 11.1% volatility, 38% less than JNJ's 17.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.48 against 0.76 for JNJ.

### Is there a better investment than JNJ?

The table below lists investments that beat JNJ over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among JNJ's popular alternatives, LLY, ABBV and GILD were ahead of JNJ in most short and long periods, though with much bigger swings (32.8%, 23.4% and 24.9% volatility against 17.9%).
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CAH (health care distribution) and MCK (health care distribution) were ahead of JNJ in most short and long periods, though with much bigger swings (24.7% and 25.0% volatility against 17.9%).
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 18 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than JNJ with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them KO, AVLV and DFIV.

The 15 strongest of 18 investments that beat JNJ over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with JNJ | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| JNJ: Johnson & Johnson (this page) |  | +12.7% | 17.9% | 0.76 | −27.4% | +196% |  |  |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.56 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| DIVB: iShares Core Dividend ETF | Dividend & Income | +13.9% | 15.4% | 0.93 | −36.9% | — | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| IUS: Invesco RAFI Strategic US ETF | Broad Market | +14.7% | 14.9% | 1.00 | −34.7% | — | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| FFLC: Fidelity Fundamental Large Cap Core ETF | Broad Market | +15.7% | 16.8% | 0.95 | −19.7% | — | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.54 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| DFIV: Dimensional - International Value ETF | International Equity | +14.8% | 16.4% | 0.93 | −25.4% | — | 0.39 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| AVLV: Avantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +14.0% | 16.9% | 0.86 | −19.5% | — | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| PVAL: Putnam Focused Large Cap Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +16.1% | 15.1% | 1.07 | −41.3% | — | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| FDL: First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund | US Dividend Equity | +13.9% | 14.4% | 0.98 | −41.4% | +199% | 0.55 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | Energy Infrastructure | +14.9% | 14.5% | 1.04 | −43.6% | +150% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| USMC: Principal U.S. Mega-Cap ETF | Broad Market | +14.1% | 16.4% | 0.89 | −30.0% | — | 0.16 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| GCOW: Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF | International | +14.1% | 13.6% | 1.04 | −37.6% | +168% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| DGT: State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF | International | +13.8% | 15.1% | 0.94 | −34.4% | +261% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| IDOG: ALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF | International | +14.1% | 15.6% | 0.93 | −37.3% | +180% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| VSLU: Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF | Broad Market | +13.7% | 16.2% | 0.88 | −23.8% | — | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility |

## JNJ against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against JNJ, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do JNJ's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- None of the 21 popular alternatives earned more than JNJ over the past 5 years with smaller price swings, so every higher return on the map came with a bumpier ride.
- 15 of the 21 popular alternatives earned less than JNJ over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, JNJ returned 12.7% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (17.9% against 17.1%).

### Has JNJ consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares JNJ with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Five of the 21 popular alternatives, led by LLY, ABBV and AMGN, outperformed JNJ in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- LLY and ABBV outperformed JNJ in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- NVS and AMGN earned more for the risk they took than JNJ (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of JNJ | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| JNJ: Johnson & Johnson (this page) | +36.9% | +84.6% | +82.1% | +196% |  |  | 0.76 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | +59.7% | +124% | +451% | +1,807% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.21 |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | +28.3% | +118% | +218% | +603% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.11 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | +48.7% | +72.2% | +145% | +266% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.85 |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | +76.8% | +58.3% | +113% | +241% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.74 |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | +30.3% | +121% | +180% | +200% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.95 |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | +18.8% | +75.9% | +121% | +226% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.87 |
| VTRS: Viatris Inc. | +87.1% | +127% | +64.3% | −38.0% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.47 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| [ISRG](https://easycompare.io/research/isrg): Intuitive Surgical, Inc. | −4.5% | +64.1% | +28.9% | +478% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.32 |
| [AZN](https://easycompare.io/research/azn): AstraZeneca PLC | +1.8% | +38.8% | +52.1% | +257% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.41 |
| [ABT](https://easycompare.io/research/abt): Abbott Laboratories | −18.7% | +13.0% | −8.0% | +204% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.04 |
| [TAK](https://easycompare.io/research/tak): Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | +48.2% | +56.1% | +75.1% | +30.4% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.68 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | +65.8% | −5.6% | −8.8% | −18.9% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | +40.7% | +0.8% | +44.9% | +120% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| [BMY](https://easycompare.io/research/bmy): Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | +47.8% | +25.8% | +30.6% | +74.8% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | +30.5% | +19.2% | −8.3% | +55.0% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| [MDT](https://easycompare.io/research/mdt): Medtronic Plc | +1.9% | +43.6% | −8.8% | +46.7% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.03 |
| [SYK](https://easycompare.io/research/syk): Stryker Corporation | −19.2% | +18.0% | +17.2% | +197% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.25 |
| [NVO](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo): Novo Nordisk A/S | −28.5% | −57.0% | −18.5% | +134% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.09 |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | +18.9% | +60.0% | +57.2% | +95.1% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| [SNY](https://easycompare.io/research/sny): Sanofi | −13.4% | −10.0% | +3.0% | +61.5% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.15 |

### How did JNJ do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where JNJ ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- JNJ finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, ABBV came out ahead of JNJ most often, in nine of the 13 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, JNJ finished in the top quarter in three of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in three. In 2025, it ranked 2 of 22.

| Year | JNJ | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +47.5% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −4.8% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −8.6% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +6.0% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +11.4% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +10.8% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +16.2% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −5.1% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +24.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +15.3% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How JNJ has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were JNJ's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- Not every decline was the market's doing: JNJ fell 36.3% from November 1999 to March 2000, while the S&P 500 slipped only 2.7%.
- The slowest recovery came after JNJ fell 35.9% from March to July 2002; it did not regain that peak until December 2004, two years later.
- In two of JNJ's three worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −38.1% | August 25, 1987 | October 19, 1987 | May 19, 1989 | — |  |
| −36.4% | January 8, 1992 | August 11, 1993 | October 19, 1994 | — |  |
| −36.3% | November 16, 1999 | March 7, 2000 | December 28, 2000 | −2.7% |  |
| −35.9% | March 19, 2002 | July 19, 2002 | December 16, 2004 | −27.6% | dot-com bust |
| −34.4% | September 8, 2008 | March 9, 2009 | May 11, 2011 | −45.6% | 2008 financial crisis |

### How did JNJ do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far JNJ, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- JNJ fell less than the S&P 500 in nine of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when JNJ fell 34.4% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.
- None of its popular alternatives fell less than JNJ in most of the crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | JNJ fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −35.9% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −34.4% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −0.1% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −9.8% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −9.0% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.2% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −16.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −25.4% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −12.7% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.1% | −3.4% |

### How closely does JNJ move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, JNJ captured 64% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 53% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.46. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- LLY took just 6% of the S&P 500's losses, against 53% for JNJ, while still keeping 101% of its gains.
- Five of the 21 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than JNJ's 1.20, led by LLY, ABBV and AZN.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| JNJ: Johnson & Johnson (this page) | 64.0% | 53.0% | 0.46 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | 101% | 6.0% | 0.37 |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | 92.0% | 57.0% | 0.54 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | 74.0% | 64.0% | 0.54 |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | 64.0% | 46.0% | 0.30 |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | 52.0% | 36.0% | 0.35 |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | 69.0% | 64.0% | 0.49 |
| VTRS: Viatris Inc. | 74.0% | 179% | 1.14 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| [ISRG](https://easycompare.io/research/isrg): Intuitive Surgical, Inc. | 136% | 154% | 1.28 |
| [AZN](https://easycompare.io/research/azn): AstraZeneca PLC | 60.0% | 39.0% | 0.39 |
| [ABT](https://easycompare.io/research/abt): Abbott Laboratories | 76.0% | 79.0% | 0.64 |
| [TAK](https://easycompare.io/research/tak): Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | 34.0% | 58.0% | 0.44 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | 35.0% | 91.0% | 0.28 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 55.0% | 66.0% | 0.19 |
| [BMY](https://easycompare.io/research/bmy): Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | 55.0% | 75.0% | 0.41 |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | 52.0% | 81.0% | 0.54 |
| [MDT](https://easycompare.io/research/mdt): Medtronic Plc | 62.0% | 105% | 0.68 |
| [SYK](https://easycompare.io/research/syk): Stryker Corporation | 82.0% | 96.0% | 0.88 |
| [NVO](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo): Novo Nordisk A/S | 75.0% | 94.0% | 0.60 |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | 51.0% | 61.0% | 0.52 |
| [SNY](https://easycompare.io/research/sny): Sanofi | 53.0% | 74.0% | 0.46 |

### What diversifies JNJ?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in JNJ into DXJ would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 15% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+13.5% for JNJ alone, +16.4% for the mix).
- FIX made money in six of the eight calendar years in which JNJ lost money.
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, EMLP and SMH have moved largely independently of JNJ over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.41 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with JNJ | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in JNJ's 8 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.28 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 8 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.41 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 8 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | -0.03 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 8 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.39 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 2 of 8 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.18 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 5 of 8 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.17 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 8 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.32 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 4 of 8 |
| DFIV: Dimensional - International Value ETF | 0.39 | +99.4% | 16.4% | 0.93 | 2 of 8 |

## Common questions

### What was JNJ's worst drawdown?

JNJ's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 38.1%, from August to October 1987. It took 19 months from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were JNJ's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, JNJ's best year was 2025, when it returned 47.5%. Its worst was 2023, with a return of -8.6%.

### Is there a better investment than JNJ?

Among JNJ's popular alternatives, LLY, ABBV and GILD were ahead of JNJ in most short and long periods, though with much bigger swings (32.8%, 23.4% and 24.9% volatility against 17.9%). Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CAH (health care distribution) and MCK (health care distribution) were ahead of JNJ in most short and long periods, though with much bigger swings (24.7% and 25.0% volatility against 17.9%).

### Is JNJ more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. JNJ's volatility over the past 5 years was 17.9%, 1.0 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, JNJ's return lands within 17.9% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is JNJ's Sharpe ratio?

JNJ's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.76, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so JNJ earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is JNJ with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, JNJ's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.19 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against JNJ instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a JNJ holding.

### What are the best alternatives to JNJ?

Of the 21 popular alternatives we compared, five outperformed JNJ in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: LLY, ABBV and AMGN.

### Did JNJ outperform the S&P 500?

JNJ finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +47.5%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did JNJ do in stock market crashes?

JNJ fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in nine of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in one. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when JNJ fell 34.4% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies JNJ?

These had a low correlation with JNJ over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.28), EMLP (correlation 0.41) and SMH (correlation -0.03); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.39), CLS (correlation -0.10) and FIX (correlation 0.11). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/jnj
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against JNJ live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=JNJ&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research