Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Expected Move

Expected move estimates the probable price range for a given period based on at-the-money options pricing. It reflects the market consensus for volatility over the selected timeframe.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) operates in the Healthcare sector, specifically the Drug Manufacturers - General industry, with a market capitalization near $628.65B, listed on NYSE, employing roughly 141,700 people, carrying a beta of 0.23 to the broader market. Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. Led by Joaquin Duato, public since 1962-01-02.

Snapshot as of Aug 14, 2026.

Spot Price
$260.35
Expected Move
6.0%
Implied High
$275.95
Implied Low
$244.75
Front DTE
28 days

As of Aug 14, 2026, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has an expected move of 5.99%, a one-standard-deviation implied price range of roughly $244.75 to $275.95 from the current $260.35. Expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market's pricing of a ±1σ move. Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within this range under lognormal assumptions, though empirical markets have fatter tails.

JNJ Strategy Sizing to the Expected Move

With Johnson & Johnson pricing an expected move of 5.99% from $260.35, risk-defined strategies sized to the implied range structurally target the modal outcome distribution. Iron condors with wings at the ±1σ expected move boundaries collect premium against the ~68% probability that spot stays inside the range under lognormal assumptions; strangles set wider at ±1.5σ or ±2σ target the tails but pay smaller per-trade premium. Long-vol structures (long straddles, ratio backspreads) profit when realized move exceeds the implied move, the inverse trade: they bet against the lognormal assumption itself, capitalizing on the empirically fatter equity-return tails.

How to read the JNJ implied-range chart

The shaded range above shows the one-standard-deviation implied price band at each listed expiration, derived from ATM implied volatility scaled to days-to-expiration. The front-tenor expected move is 5.99%, anchoring an implied range of approximately $244.75 to $275.95. Under lognormal assumptions, roughly 68% of outcomes fall inside that band; 95% fall inside ±2σ; 99.7% inside ±3σ. The empirical equity-return distribution has fatter tails than lognormal, so true tail-outcome frequency is moderately higher than these closed-form numbers suggest.

JNJ expected move and event pricing

Expected move widens with √time: a 5% 30-day move corresponds to roughly a 2.5% 7.5-day move and a 10% 120-day move. JNJ term-structure is in contango (slope 0.006), so longer-dated tenors price in proportionally more vol than √time scaling alone would suggest - typically because long-dated cycles include uncertain macro states.

Sizing JNJ structures to the expected move

Iron condors with wings at ±1σ collect the modal-outcome premium; ±1.5σ widens probability of inside-range to ~87% but cuts collected premium roughly in half. Strangles do the inverse trade - they pay against the same lognormal distribution, profiting when realized exceeds implied. Calendar spreads bet on the slope of the term structure rather than the level. JNJ put/call volume ratio currently at 0.68 indicates balanced flow without strong directional skew. The expected move is the inputs the chain is pricing, not a forecast - realized moves above or below are normal under any distribution.

Learn how expected move is reported and how to read the data →

JNJ one-standard-deviation implied price range by days-to-expiration, with current spot marked as the midpointJNJ Implied Price Range by Expiration$200$250$300$350100d200d300d400d500d600d700d800dDays to ExpirationImplied Price Range ($)
Shaded band shows the ±1σ implied price range (~68% probability under lognormal assumptions) at each expiration; the center line marks current spot. Bands widen with longer DTE since volatility scales with √time.

Per-expiration expected move for JNJ derived from ATM implied volatility at each listed expiration. Implied high/low bounds are computed as $260.35 × (1 ± expected move %). One standard-deviation range under lognormal assumptions, roughly 68% of outcomes fall inside.

ExpirationDTEATM IVExpected MoveImplied HighImplied Low
Aug 21, 2026719.7%2.7%$267.45$253.25
Aug 28, 20261420.7%4.1%$270.90$249.80
Sep 4, 20262121.3%5.1%$273.65$247.05
Sep 11, 20262820.7%5.7%$275.28$245.42
Sep 18, 20263521.3%6.6%$277.52$243.18
Sep 25, 20264221.4%7.3%$279.25$241.45
Oct 2, 20264922.1%8.1%$281.43$239.27
Oct 16, 20266324.7%10.3%$287.07$233.63
Dec 18, 202612624.6%14.5%$297.98$222.72
Jan 15, 202715424.7%16.0%$302.12$218.58
Mar 19, 202721725.2%19.4%$310.94$209.76
Jun 17, 202730725.0%22.9%$320.04$200.66
Dec 17, 202749024.6%28.5%$334.56$186.14
Jan 21, 202852525.1%30.1%$338.72$181.98
Dec 15, 202885425.2%38.5%$360.71$159.99

Frequently asked JNJ expected move questions

What is the current JNJ expected move?
As of Aug 14, 2026, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has an expected move of 5.99% over the next 28 days, implying a one-standard-deviation price range of $244.75 to $275.95 from the current $260.35. The expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market consensus for a ±1σ price move.
What does the JNJ expected move mean for traders?
Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within ±1 expected move and 95% within ±2 under lognormal assumptions, though equity returns have empirically fatter tails than log-normal predicts. Strategies sized to the expected move (iron condors at ±1σ, strangles at ±1.5σ) target the typical outcome distribution; strategies that profit from tail moves (long-vol structures, ratio backspreads) target the tails the lognormal model under-prices.
How is JNJ expected move calculated?
The expected move displayed here is derived from at-the-money implied volatility scaled to the chosen tenor: expected move % is approximately ATM IV times sqrt(T / 365), where T is days to expiration. An equivalent straddle-based form: the ATM straddle (call + put at the same strike) is roughly sqrt(2/pi) times spot times IV times sqrt(T/365), so the implied one-standard-deviation move is approximately 1.25 times ATM straddle divided by spot. The two formulations agree once the sqrt(2/pi) constant is reconciled.