Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Posted by Geri Gentry on Aug 10th, 2026

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Kenvue from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Kenvue from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kenvue from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Kenvue from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Kenvue from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.36.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on KVUE

Kenvue Price Performance

NYSE:KVUE opened at $19.22 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $18.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.09. The firm has a market cap of $36.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.47. Kenvue has a 52-week low of $14.02 and a 52-week high of $21.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.01). Kenvue had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 21.22%. The business had revenue of $3.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. Kenvue’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kenvue will post 1.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kenvue

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kenvue in the second quarter worth $2,882,279,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kenvue during the fourth quarter valued at $756,862,000. Independent Franchise Partners LLP raised its position in Kenvue by 56.3% during the fourth quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 48,146,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $830,527,000 after buying an additional 17,343,785 shares during the period. Sculptor Capital LP lifted its stake in Kenvue by 1,023.5% in the 4th quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 12,886,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,289,000 after acquiring an additional 11,739,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Kenvue in the 2nd quarter worth about $192,080,000. 97.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Kenvue

Here are the key news stories impacting Kenvue this week:

Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter net sales rose 3.0% year over year to $3.96 billion, supported by higher prices and volumes. Organic sales increased 1.6%, with growth across Self Care, Skin Health and Beauty, and Essential Health. Kenvue Posts Higher Profit, Sales as Turnaround Continues
Positive Sentiment: Net income increased to $456 million from $420 million a year earlier, while adjusted diluted EPS reached $0.31 versus $0.29 in the prior-year quarter. Six-month operating cash flow was $1.2 billion and free cash flow was $1.0 billion. Kenvue Q2 net sales rise 3% as diluted EPS hits 24 cents
Neutral Sentiment: The Kimberly-Clark transaction remains expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions. Kenvue is withholding forward guidance because of the pending deal, limiting visibility for investors. How Reddit and Wall Street See Kenvue as Buyout Nears
Negative Sentiment: Adjusted EPS of $0.31 fell short of the $0.32 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.96 billion was slightly below the $3.97 billion forecast. The miss was unusual for Kenvue and contributed to the recent decline in the stock. Kenvue misses quarterly estimates as inflation, tariffs squeeze margins
Negative Sentiment: Margins narrowed as inflation, tariffs and currency-related costs offset part of the benefit from pricing and volume gains, raising concerns about near-term profitability and the company’s turnaround execution. KVUE Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates as Margins Narrows Sales Rise

Kenvue Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.