Johnson & Johnson Stock Drops on DOJ, SEC Subpoenas

This news follows a damning Reuters report from December

The shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) are down 1% at $135, at last check, after the consumer products giant said it received subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice and Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in relation to litigation over alleged asbestos in its talc-based products, including its Baby Powder brand. This follows a damning Reuters report in mid-December, which accused JNJ of knowing its products contained the carcinogen.

On the charts, JNJ has been moving higher, though it still has a ways to go before filling its Dec. 14 bear gap, when the shares plunged 10%. While the pharmaceutical name has added 10.7% from its Dec. 24 bottom, it has been unable to break above the 80-day moving average. From a broader perspective, Johnson & Johnson stock has added nearly 4% year-over-year.

Those wanting to bet on the Dow stock's near-term trajectory may want to consider a premium-buying strategy. JNJ's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 16% ranks in the 19th annual percentile, meaning short-term options are relatively cheap at the moment, from a volatility perspective.

Meanwhile, the pharma stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) stands at a 73 out of a possible 100. This indicates JNJ has tended to make outsized moves over the last year, compared to what the options market had priced in -- a potential boon to premium buyers.