Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Kenvue to a "buy" rating, even though the broader analyst view remains cautious with an overall "Hold" rating and an average price target of $19.33.
• Kenvue shares recently traded at $19.50, near the middle of their 52-week range of $14.02 to $22.87, with the company valued at about $37.43 billion.
• The company’s latest earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $0.32 versus the $0.27 estimate and revenue of $3.91 billion, up 4.5% year over year.

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Sunday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on KVUE. Zacks Research downgraded Kenvue from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Kenvue from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Kenvue from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kenvue from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Kenvue from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $19.33.

Kenvue Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KVUE traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.50. 9,451,469 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,740,484. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.70. Kenvue has a 1 year low of $14.02 and a 1 year high of $22.87. The company's 50-day moving average is $18.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.79. The company has a market capitalization of $37.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.47.

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.05. Kenvue had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 10.61%.The company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.24 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kenvue will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Matthew Orlando sold 38,491 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.66, for a total transaction of $679,751.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.59% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Kenvue

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KVUE. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kenvue during the 4th quarter valued at $1,563,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Kenvue by 25.8% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 410,874 shares of the company's stock worth $7,088,000 after buying an additional 84,219 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Kenvue by 3,889.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,075,723 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,056,000 after buying an additional 2,998,635 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its position in Kenvue by 66.9% during the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 313,122 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,082,000 after buying an additional 125,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cohen Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Kenvue in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,448,000. 97.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kenvue Company 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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