diff --git a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/notedb/ChangeNotesParser.java b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/notedb/ChangeNotesParser.java
index a57dff0643..075ca363af 100644
--- a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/notedb/ChangeNotesParser.java
+++ b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/notedb/ChangeNotesParser.java
@@ -276,8 +276,10 @@ class ChangeNotesParser implements AutoCloseable {
       // behavior.
     }
 
-    if (lastUpdatedOn == null && updateTs) {
-      lastUpdatedOn = ts;
+    if (updateTs) {
+      if (lastUpdatedOn == null || ts.after(lastUpdatedOn)) {
+        lastUpdatedOn = ts;
+      }
     }
   }