Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd Invests $43.27 Million in Kenvue Inc. $KVUE

Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd purchased a new position in Kenvue Inc. (NYSE:KVUE) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,508,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,274,000. Kenvue accounts for about 4.3% of Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Kenvue by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Kenvue in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Kenvue by 82.4% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 2,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,027 shares in the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in shares of Kenvue in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Kenvue during the 4th quarter worth $76,000. 97.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on KVUE. Argus upgraded shares of Kenvue to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Kenvue from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kenvue from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Kenvue from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.33.

Kenvue Stock Up 1.0%

KVUE opened at $18.44 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $35.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.69, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.54. Kenvue Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.02 and a 52 week high of $22.87. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.56.

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kenvue Inc. will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kenvue Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $0.2075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Kenvue’s payout ratio is 97.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kenvue

In other news, General Counsel Matthew Orlando sold 38,491 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.59% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.