Kenvue Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:KVUE)

Kenvue Inc. (NYSE:KVUE) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders acquired 17,400 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 54% compared to the average volume of 11,333 call options.

Kenvue Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:KVUE traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $17.19. 20,265,192 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 33,603,223. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Kenvue has a one year low of $14.02 and a one year high of $24.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.33.

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.84 billion. Kenvue had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 10.61%.The business’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Kenvue will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kenvue Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be issued a $0.2075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. Kenvue’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KVUE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Kenvue from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays cut their price target on Kenvue from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Kenvue from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Kenvue from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Matthew Orlando sold 38,491 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.66, for a total value of $679,751.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.59% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KVUE. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Kenvue by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 234,951,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,052,913,000 after buying an additional 1,604,040 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Kenvue by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 118,865,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,050,424,000 after buying an additional 4,063,257 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kenvue by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 49,862,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $856,778,000 after buying an additional 371,322 shares during the period. Independent Franchise Partners LLP boosted 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 acquiring an additional 17,343,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kenvue during the 4th quarter worth about $756,862,000. Institutional investors own 97.64% of the company’s stock.

About Kenvue

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.