Magnetar Financial LLC Acquires New Stake in Kenvue Inc. $KVUE

Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kenvue Inc. (NYSE:KVUE) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 5,263,903 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,802,000. Kenvue accounts for approximately 0.9% of Magnetar Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Kenvue during the 4th quarter valued at $756,862,000. Sculptor Capital LP grew its stake in shares of Kenvue by 1,023.5% during 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 during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new stake in Kenvue in the 4th quarter worth about $162,193,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Kenvue by 101.3% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 18,361,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,008,000 after acquiring an additional 9,240,434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV raised its stake in Kenvue by 1,311.9% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 9,856,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,018,000 after acquiring an additional 9,157,999 shares during the period. 97.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Matthew Orlando sold 38,491 shares of Kenvue 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.59% of the company’s stock.

Kenvue Stock Performance

Shares of KVUE opened at $18.44 on Wednesday. Kenvue Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.02 and a 52-week high of $22.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.54.

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.84 billion. Kenvue had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.24 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Kenvue Inc. will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kenvue Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. Kenvue’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kenvue from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Kenvue from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Kenvue from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Argus raised shares of Kenvue to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kenvue from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.33.

Kenvue 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.