Kenvue
KVUE on NYSE. Kenvue sells consumer health products to people worldwide. Market value $33.4bn.
Price checks use the past 12 months to June 2026. Quality checks use five annual reports, the latest for the year to December 2025.
Should I look at this?
Worth a closer look
Why it could be worth it
What to watch out for
Nothing stood out in the numbers we check.
This is not advice. Check the numbers below.
For every $100 of what the whole company costs, it produced $5.73 of spare cash in the past 12 months. A savings account pays about $4.
You pay 15.5 years of operating profit for the business. The average large US company costs around 18.
Each dollar kept in the business earns 10 cents a year. Above 10 is good.
Quality score: 83 of 100. Price score: 86 of 100. Our list needs 70 on quality and 60 on price.
$17.39 a share, 24% above its 1-year low
Over the past year the price has ranged from $14.02 to $20.13.
Dividend: 4.7% a year
Paid every year for 3 years
Prices from Monday’s close (5 October).
Five years of cash, in billions
| Revenue | |||
| Revenue | $15.4bn | $15.5bn | $15.1bn |
| Operating margin | |||
| Operating margin | 16.3% | 11.9% | 16.0% |
| Debt to equity | |||
| Debt to equity | 0.74 | 0.89 | 0.79 |
| Shares outstanding | |||
| Shares outstanding | 1.92bn | 1.92bn | 1.92bn |
Health checks
- Free cash flow positive3 of 3 years
- Accounting looks honest (Beneish)Nothing unusual
- Financial strength (Piotroski)6 of 9
- Profit backed by cash (accruals)Yes
- Debt0.79× equity
- Revenue growth, five yearsUnknown
- Buying back its own sharesRoughly flat
The quarter to June 2026
How the business did, compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Sales: $4 billion last quarter, up 3% on a year ago.
- Profit: $456 million, up 9% on a year ago.
- It keeps 17 cents of each $1 of sales as operating profit, up from 16 cents a year earlier.
- Spare cash over the past 12 months: $1.9 billion, up from $1.6 billion.
- About the same number of shares as a year ago.
- Debt is $7.4 billion more than cash, down from $7.5 billion a year ago.
- Sales grew on a year ago in 3 of the last 4 quarters.
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $3.9bn |
| December 2024 | $3.7bn |
| March 2025 | $3.7bn |
| June 2025 | $3.8bn |
| September 2025 | $3.8bn |
| December 2025 | $3.8bn |
| March 2026 | $3.9bn |
| June 2026 | $4.0bn |
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $383m |
| December 2024 | $293m |
| March 2025 | $322m |
| June 2025 | $420m |
| September 2025 | $398m |
| December 2025 | $330m |
| March 2026 | $474m |
| June 2026 | $456m |
From the company's quarterly reports to the SEC.
Dates
- Next results (estimated)
- 5 November 2026
- Last annual report (10-K)
- 20 February 2026
- Next quarterly (estimated, 10-Q)
- 5 November 2026
Who owns it
11 long-term investors we follow own it, unchanged from 11 last quarter. 1,006 funds in all.
- Starboard ValueJeff Smith
- Value
- $522m
- Share of fund
- 11.5%
- Yacktman Asset ManagementStephen Yacktman
- Value
- $154m
- Share of fund
- 1.9%
- Auxier Asset ManagementJeff Auxier
- Value
- $450,442
- Share of fund
- <0.1%
| Fund | Value | Share of that fund | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starboard ValueJeff Smith | $522m | 11.5% | |
| Yacktman Asset ManagementStephen Yacktman | $154m | 1.9% | |
| Brandes Investment PartnersCharles Brandes | $69m | 0.5% | Added |
| Gotham Asset ManagementJoel Greenblatt | $50m | 0.1% | Added |
| GMOJeremy Grantham | $38m | <0.1% | Added |
| Nuance InvestmentsScott Moore | $28m | 4.7% | Cut |
| Troy Asset ManagementSebastian Lyon (founder) | $14m | 0.4% | Cut |
| Mondrian Investment PartnersMondrian team | $1m | <0.1% | Cut |
| Tweedy, BrowneTweedy Browne partners | $1m | 0.1% | Added |
| Boyar Asset ManagementMark Boyar | $1m | 0.8% | Cut |
| Auxier Asset ManagementJeff Auxier | $450,442 | <0.1% |
Largest holders overall
- FMR$3.0bnAdded
- BlackRock$2.9bnAdded
- Vanguard Capital Management$2.4bn
- State Street$2.3bn
- Vanguard Portfolio Management$1.8bn
- Geode Capital Management$990m
- Pentwater Capital Management LP$977m
- Independent Franchise Partners LLP$964mAdded
- Norges Bank$882mNew
- Massachusetts Financial Services$862mCut
From 13F filings for the quarter ended 30 June 2026.
Big holders and activists
2 investors own more than 5%.
- FMR LLCPassive investorat least 8.2%+1.2 pts(filed with 1 related holder)Since 30 June 2026
- Vanguard Capital ManagementPassive investor7.5%Since 31 March 2026
- Massachusetts Financial Services CompanyPassive investorSold down below 5%Since 30 June 2025
- T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.Passive investorSold down below 5%Since 31 December 2025
- The Vanguard GroupPassive investorSold down below 5%Since 13 March 2026
| Holder | Stake | Since | |
|---|---|---|---|
FMR LLC Passive investor | at least 8.2%+1.2 pts (filed with 1 related holder) | 30 June 2026 | |
Vanguard Capital Management Passive investor | 7.5% | 31 March 2026 | |
Massachusetts Financial Services Company Passive investor | Sold down below 5% | 30 June 2025 | |
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. Passive investor | Sold down below 5% | 31 December 2025 | |
The Vanguard Group Passive investor | Sold down below 5% | 13 March 2026 |
From Schedule 13D and 13G filings: anyone owning more than 5% must file one.
What insiders did
In the last 12 months, 1 insider bought $111m of shares on the open market. 2 sold $746,763.
- Howlett HeatherCFO & CAOSold
- Date
- 10 June 2026
- Shares
- 3,700
- Price
- $18.11
- Value
- $67,007
- Orlando MatthewGeneral CounselSold
- Date
- 8 May 2026
- Shares
- 38,491
- Price
- $17.66
- Value
- $679,756
- Smith Jeffrey CDirectorBought
- Date
- 12 December 2025
- Shares
- 3,200,000
- Price
- $17.37
- Value
- $56m
- Smith Jeffrey CDirectorBought
- Date
- 11 December 2025
- Shares
- 3,177,694
- Price
- $17.43
- Value
- $55m
| Date | Who | Did | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 June 2026 | Howlett Heather CFO & CAO | Sold | 3,700 | $18.11 | $67,007 |
| 8 May 2026 | Orlando Matthew General Counsel | Sold | 38,491 | $17.66 | $679,756 |
| 12 December 2025 | Smith Jeffrey C Director | Bought | 3,200,000 | $17.37 | $56m |
| 11 December 2025 | Smith Jeffrey C Director | Bought | 3,177,694 | $17.43 | $55m |
From Form 4 filings: insiders must report trades in their own company's shares within two days.
Warning signs in its filings
Problems the company itself reported to the SEC, in its own words.
None of the warning signs we check for were found.
We look for five warning signs: doubt it can keep going, weak checks on its own accounts, a notice that its past accounts can't be relied on, a change of auditor, and one customer bringing in a big share of sales. We don't check lawsuits, investigations or debt yet.
We checked the auditor's report, internal controls, restatement notices, auditor changes and big customers in the 10-K filed 20 Feb 2026, plus the 10-Q filed 6 Aug 2026 and 4 later 8-Ks.
A 10-K is the yearly report every US company files with the SEC. An 8-K is a short notice of a big event.
What could go wrong
Cheap for a reason is the question the numbers cannot answer.
Whether the price already reflects the risks is what the deep dive is for.
What changed in the risks this year
Companies must list what could hurt them each year. These are the parts that changed since last year’s report.
The number of shares of K-C common stock issuable in the First Merger in respect of one share of our common stock is fixed and will not be adjusted. Because the market price of K-C common stock may fluctuate, our shareholders cannot be sure of the market value of the stock consideration they will receive in exchange for their shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction.
Could happenAt the time the First Merger is completed, each issued and outstanding share of our common stock will be converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration, which consists of 1) 0.14625 shares of K-C common stock and 2) $3.50 in cash. The exchange ratio is fixed and will not be adjusted to reflect stock price changes of either our common stock or K-C common stock prior to the closing of the First Merger. Accordingly, the market value of the stock consideration that our shareholders will receive in the First Merger will vary based on the price of K-C common stock at the time our shareholders receive the Merger Consideration, and our shareholders cannot be sure of the market value of the share component of the Merger Consideration they will receive upon completion of the First Merger. The market price of K-C common stock is expected to fluctuate through and after the consummation of the Proposed Transaction, which may not occur for a considerable amount of time. Changes in the price of K-C common stock may result from a variety of factors, including general market and economic conditions, changes in K-C’s and our businesses, operations and prospects, changes in market assessments of the likelihood that the Proposed Transaction will be completed and/or the value that may be generated by the Proposed Transaction, changes with respect to expectations regarding the timing of the Proposed Transaction, and regulatory considerations. Many of these factors are beyond our and K-C’s control. In addition, the use of cash and incurrence of indebtedness by K-C in connection with the financing of the Proposed Transaction may have an adverse impact on K-C’s liquidity, limit K-C’s flexibility in responding to other business opportunities, and increase K-C’s vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions, each of which could adversely affect the market price of K-C’s common stock prior to closing and that of the combined company following closing.
Read moreIf the Proposed Transaction fails to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, our shareholders may be required to pay additional U.S. federal income taxes.
Could happenThe Proposed Transaction is intended to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and we and K-C intend to report the Proposed Transaction consistent with such qualification. However, the closing is not conditioned upon the receipt of an opinion of counsel or a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) that the Proposed Transaction will so qualify, and neither we nor K-C intends to request a ruling from the IRS regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Proposed Transaction. Consequently, no assurance can be given that the Proposed Transaction will so qualify, that the IRS will not challenge such qualification, or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If the Proposed Transaction were to fail to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, a holder of our common stock generally would recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the exchange of our common stock for K-C common stock in the Proposed Transaction. This would be in addition to income with respect to the Cash Consideration (as defined in Note 1, “Description of the Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Proposed Transaction with Kimberly-Clark” to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein), which generally would constitute taxable income to a holder of our common stock in an amount equal to the lesser of the amount of such cash and the holder’s realized gain in its K-C common stock if the Proposed Transaction qualified as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code.
Read moreIf the Proposed Transaction is consummated, the combined company may not perform as we or the market expects and may fail to realize the projected benefits and cost savings of the Proposed Transaction, which could adversely affect the value of K-C common stock, which our shareholders will own following the completion of the Proposed Transaction.
Could happen• key employees might decide not to remain with the combined company after the Proposed Transaction is completed, and the loss of key personnel could adversely affect the combined company’s results of operations, financial condition, and growth prospects; • the results of operations of the combined company and the market price of the combined company’s common stock after the completion of the Proposed Transaction may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting each of our and K-C’s independent results of operations;
Read moreRisks Related to the Proposed Transaction with K-C
Could happen• If the Proposed Transaction fails to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), our shareholders may pay additional U.S. federal income taxes.
Failure to consummate the Proposed Transaction, or a delay in the consummation of the Proposed Transaction, could negatively impact our business, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price.
Could happen• we may be subject to legal proceedings related to the potential delay of, or failure to consummate, the Proposed Transaction; • we may experience disruptions to our business resulting from the announcement and pendency of the Proposed Transaction, including adverse changes in our relationships with, or loss of, our customers, business partners, and employees, which may not be reversible and may continue or even intensify in the event the Proposed Transaction is delayed or not consummated;
Read more
The deep dive
Everything above is arithmetic on public filings. The deep dive reads the last ten years of annual reports, the proxy statements, and the earnings calls, then argues the case the way Buffett, Klarman, and Hohn would, and checks every claim against the source.
- What the business is worth, as a range, and the margin of safety at today’s price
- Prices to start buying, buy, and buy hard
- The three things that would make this a mistake
- Every number footnoted to the filing it came from
Your first deep dive is free.
Not advice. Numbers on this page come from SEC filings and are updated each night; prices are updated again after the US market closes. The five-year figures are rounded.