Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Reduces Position in Kenvue Inc. $KVUE

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services cut its stake in Kenvue by 21.6% in Q4, selling 18,866,299 shares and now holds 68,486,378 shares (about 3.57%) valued at roughly $1.18 billion.
• Kenvue beat estimates in its latest quarter with $0.27 EPS vs. $0.22 expected and revenue of $3.78 billion vs. $3.68 billion, and it pays a quarterly dividend that annualizes to $0.83 (a 4.8% yield) with a payout ratio of 107.79%.
• Analysts are largely cautious: the consensus rating is "Hold" with a $19.50 price target, while the stock trades around $17.37 and has a 12‑month range of $14.02–$25.17.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its stake in shares of Kenvue Inc. (NYSE:KVUE - Free Report) by 21.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,486,378 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,866,299 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 3.57% of Kenvue worth $1,181,390,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KVUE. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Kenvue in the second quarter worth $6,528,000. Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in Kenvue by 210.6% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 54,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,147,000 after acquiring an additional 37,170 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Kenvue by 6.2% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 310,831 shares of the company's stock worth $6,506,000 after acquiring an additional 18,258 shares during the period. AXA S.A. lifted its stake in Kenvue by 21.1% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 48,892 shares of the company's stock worth $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 8,524 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kenvue by 219.1% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 97,481 shares of the company's stock worth $2,040,000 after acquiring an additional 66,930 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.64% of the company's stock.

Kenvue Price Performance

KVUE opened at $17.37 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $33.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.61. Kenvue Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.02 and a 12-month high of $25.17.

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.68 billion. Kenvue had a return on equity of 19.72% and a net margin of 9.72%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Kenvue Inc. will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kenvue Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a $0.2075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. Kenvue's dividend payout ratio is 107.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on KVUE shares. Argus raised Kenvue to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Kenvue from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Kenvue from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $23.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on Kenvue from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Kenvue from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $19.50.

Kenvue Profile

Kenvue is a consumer health company that was established as a standalone, publicly traded business after separating from Johnson & Johnson. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol KVUE, Kenvue focuses on the development, manufacture, marketing and distribution of consumer health and personal care products across a range of categories including skin and beauty care, baby care, oral care, wound care and over‑the‑counter medicines.

The company owns and markets a portfolio of widely recognized consumer brands, including names familiar to global shoppers across retail and pharmacy channels.

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