JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JNJ) Short Interest
JNJ Short Interest & Days to Cover
JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JNJ) currently has 25.4M shares short as of the Jul 31, 2026 settlement date, or about 3.0 days to cover at current trading volume. That is higher than 94% of the 158 readings on record since Jan 15, 2020, on a days-to-cover basis. Shares short have fallen for 1 straight reporting period. Looking at recent periods where short interest increased, the stock is now averaging +12.5% since those additions, recent short sellers are broadly underwater on that basis.
As of the Jul 31, 2026 settlement date, short interest is reported roughly every two weeks, not in real time.
Days to cover, compared against every biweekly reading on record for this stock specifically, not the market as a whole.
Short interest moving alone does not say much, what matters is whether it is moving with or against the price. Each period below compares the change in short interest to the stock's move over the same window.
| Settlement Date | SI Change | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2026 | -7.4% | Covering into strength |
| Jul 15, 2026 | +3.2% | Building into weakness |
| Jun 30, 2026 | -0.4% | — |
| Jun 15, 2026 | +14.0% | New bearish bets despite strength |
| May 29, 2026 | +1.6% | — |
| May 15, 2026 | +3.1% | Building into weakness |
| Apr 30, 2026 | +13.6% | Building into weakness |
| Apr 15, 2026 | -11.7% | Covering into weakness |
Comparing the stock's price at each recent short-interest-increase to where it trades today. An estimate based on settlement-date prices, not any individual short seller's real entry.
| Build Date | Price Then | Return Since |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 13, 2026 | $243.45 | +10.1% |
| Feb 27, 2026 | $248.43 | +7.9% |
| Apr 30, 2026 | $229.85 | +16.6% |
| May 15, 2026 | $226.71 | +18.2% |
| Jun 15, 2026 | $235.66 | +13.7% |
| Jul 15, 2026 | $247.02 | +8.5% |
The 40 periods where short interest was in the top quarter of JNJ's own history on record (+2.51% or higher), and what followed.
| Forward Window | Avg Return | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | +1.4% | 54% (n=35) |
| 6 months | +2.5% | 45% (n=31) |
| 12 months | +11.7% | 81% (n=27) |
A historical pattern in JNJ's own data, not a prediction.
Every biweekly settlement reading on record, most recent first. Page 4 of 4.
| Settlement Date | Shares Short | Days to Cover | Avg Daily Volume | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2020 | 16.8M | 1.4 | 11.8M | -11.7% |
| Apr 15, 2020 | 19.1M | 1.7 | 11.4M | +13.6% |
| Mar 31, 2020 | 16.8M | 1.6 | 10.5M | -17.5% |
| Mar 13, 2020 | 20.3M | 2.4 | 8.5M | +22.3% |
| Feb 28, 2020 | 16.6M | 2.4 | 6.9M | -8.4% |
| Feb 14, 2020 | 18.2M | 2.8 | 6.6M | -13.0% |
| Jan 31, 2020 | 20.9M | 3.2 | 6.6M | +2.2% |
| Jan 15, 2020 | 20.4M | 2.9 | 7.0M | — |
What is JNJ's current short interest?
JOHNSON & JOHNSON has 25.4M shares sold short as of Jul 31, 2026. Days to cover is 3.0.
Is JNJ's short interest high or low right now?
On a days-to-cover basis, current short interest is higher than 94% of the 158 biweekly readings on record, spanning Jan 15, 2020 to Jul 31, 2026. The historical average days to cover is 2.2, and the highest on record is 6.5 days, on Aug 15, 2023.
Is short interest in JNJ rising or falling?
Shares short have fallen for 1 consecutive reporting period.
Are short sellers in JNJ currently winning or losing?
Looking at the 6 most recent periods where short interest increased, the stock has averaged +12.5% since those additions, with price now below the entry level in 0% of those cases. This is an estimate based on the price at each settlement date, not a precise tracking of any individual short seller's actual entry.
What has historically happened after JNJ's short interest was this high?
In the 40 periods where days to cover was in the top quarter of this ticker's own history (2.5 days or higher), the stock averaged +2.5% over the following 6 months (positive 45% of the time, n=31). This is a historical pattern, not a prediction.