Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB – Get Free Report) and Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE – Get Free Report) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Kimberly-Clark | $16.45 billion | 2.21 | $2.02 billion | $5.88 | 18.56 |
| Kenvue | $15.41 billion | 2.37 | $1.47 billion | $0.87 | 21.84 |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
76.3% of Kimberly-Clark shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.6% of Kenvue shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Kimberly-Clark shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.6% of Kenvue shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Risk & Volatility
Kimberly-Clark has a beta of 0.26, suggesting that its share price is 74% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kenvue has a beta of 0.47, suggesting that its share price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Kimberly-Clark | 11.79% | 143.92% | 14.21% |
| Kenvue | 10.76% | 21.22% | 8.37% |
Dividends
Kimberly-Clark pays an annual dividend of $5.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.7%. Kenvue pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Kimberly-Clark pays out 87.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Kenvue pays out 96.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Kimberly-Clark has increased its dividend for 54 consecutive years and Kenvue has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Kimberly-Clark is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent ratings for Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Kimberly-Clark | 1 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 2.29 |
| Kenvue | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2.20 |
Kimberly-Clark currently has a consensus price target of $117.93, indicating a potential upside of 8.07%. Kenvue has a consensus price target of $19.27, indicating a potential upside of 1.44%. Given Kimberly-Clark’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Kimberly-Clark is more favorable than Kenvue.
Summary
Kimberly-Clark beats Kenvue on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets personal care and consumer tissue products in the United States. It operates through three segments: Personal Care, Consumer Tissue, and K-C Professional. The company’s Personal Care segment offers disposable diapers, training and youth pants, swimpants, baby wipes, feminine and incontinence care products, reusable underwear, and other related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, GoodNites, DryNites, Sweety, Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus, Thinx, Poise, Depend, Plenitud, Softex, and other brand names. Its Consumer Tissue segment provides facial and bathroom tissues, paper towels, napkins, and related products under the Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle, Viva, Andrex, Scottex, Neve, and other brand names. The company’s K-C Professional segment offers wipers, tissues, towels, apparel, personal protective equipment, soaps, and sanitizers under the Kleenex, Scott, WypAll, Kimtech, and KleenGuard brands. It also sells household use products directly to supermarkets, mass merchandisers, drugstores, warehouse clubs, variety and department stores, and other retail outlets, as well as through other distributors and e-commerce; and away-from-home use products directly to distributors, manufacturing, lodging, office building, food service, and public facilities, as well as through e-commerce. Kimberly-Clark Corporation was founded in 1872 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
About Kenvue
Kenvue Inc. operates as a consumer health company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Self Care, Skin Health and Beauty, and Essential Health. The Self Care segment offers cough, cold and allergy, pain care, digestive health, smoking cessation, eye care, and other products under the Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, Nicorette, Zarbee's, ORSLTM, Rhinocort, Calpol, and Zyrtec brands. The Skin Health and Beauty segment provides face and body care, hair, sun, and other care products under the Neutrogena, Aveeno, Dr.Ci:Labo, Le Petit Marseillais, Lubriderm, Rogaine, and OGX brand names. The Essential Health segment offers oral and baby, women's health, wound, and other care products under the Listerine, Johnson's, Band-Aid, and Stayfree, o.b., tampons, Carefree, and Desitin Diaper Rash brands. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is headquartered in Skillman, New Jersey.
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