Kenvue Inc. (NYSE:KVUE) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Hold — Sixteen analysts cover Kenvue with a consensus "Hold" (13 holds, 3 buys) and an average 12‑month price target of $19.50, amid several recent downgrades and target adjustments.
• Operational beat — Kenvue reported Q results with EPS of $0.27 (vs. $0.22 est.) and revenue of $3.78B (vs. $3.68B est.), with revenue up 3.2% year‑over‑year and analysts forecasting roughly $1.14 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Yield and valuation tradeoffs — Shares around $17.26 (50‑day $17.96, 200‑day $17.07) with a market cap of $33.1B and P/E ~22.4; the company pays a quarterly dividend ($0.2075) equating to a ~4.8% yield but with a payout ratio above 100% (107.8%).

Kenvue Inc. (NYSE:KVUE - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $19.50.

KVUE has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Kenvue from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $23.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Argus upgraded shares of Kenvue to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kenvue in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Kenvue from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Kenvue from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th.

Kenvue Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE KVUE opened at $17.26 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $17.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.07. The company has a market cap of $33.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Kenvue has a 12-month low of $14.02 and a 12-month high of $25.17.

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

Kenvue Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kenvue

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of Kenvue by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 5,106,368 shares of the company's stock worth $88,231,000 after buying an additional 1,230,957 shares during the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Kenvue by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 80,721 shares of the company's stock worth $1,392,000 after buying an additional 9,961 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Kenvue by 60.9% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 19,670 shares of the company's stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 7,444 shares during the last quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kenvue during the fourth quarter worth approximately $325,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Kenvue in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 97.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Kenvue

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.