Kenvue Inc. (NYSE:KVUE – Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $19.5833.
Several equities research analysts have commented on KVUE shares. UBS Group boosted 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. Citigroup dropped their price target on Kenvue from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kenvue to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kenvue from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Kenvue
Kenvue Stock Performance NYSE:KVUE opened at $19.25 on Thursday. 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 $36.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.47. Kenvue has a fifty-two week low of $14.02 and a fifty-two week high of $22.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $18.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.92.
Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.05. Kenvue had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.24 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Kenvue will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Kenvue Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were paid a $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. Kenvue’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.65%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Kenvue In other news, General Counsel Matthew Orlando sold 38,491 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.59% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of Kenvue Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KVUE. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Kenvue by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 77,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 10,483 shares during the last quarter. Corecam AG purchased a new position in Kenvue in the second quarter worth approximately $344,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in Kenvue by 341.9% during the second quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 3,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 2,356 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Kenvue by 6.5% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 68,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 4,184 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kenvue by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 18,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052 shares during the last quarter. 97.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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.
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SUMMIT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE) will announce its second quarter 2026 financial results before the market opens on August 6, 2026. Due to the pending transaction with Kimberly-Clark, Kenvue will not be hosting a quarterly conference call to review its financial results. The press release will be available on the company's website at investors.kenvue.com. About Kenvue Kenvue Inc. is the world's largest pure-play consumer health company by revenue. Built on more than a cen.
A Dividend King is a company that has increased its dividend for at least 50 years in a row. There are currently only 57 that can wear this crown.
One of them is Kimberly-Clark (KMB +0.06%), the venerable company that makes tissues, paper towels, diapers, and other paper-based family-care products. It has increased its dividend for 54 straight years, making its stock a Dividend King. But it also pays out one of the highest yields among Dividend Kings -- 4.7% right now. The combination makes it one of the best, most reliable dividend stocks you can buy.
But the stock is not just a buy for its royal dividend -- it's also positioned to deliver some solid returns. Here's why.
Image source: Getty Images.
A strategic shift toward higher-margin products Kimberly-Clark stock is up about 11% year to date (with dividends reinvested), but its total returns are down about 10% over the past 12 months. Its long-term returns aren't great either, as it averaged a drop of 1% over the past five years and a total rise of only 1% over the past decade.
Its main utility for investors has been to provide excellent dividend income, and some downside protection when markets go south. But some recent developments could position the company to generate some decent returns.
Earlier this month, Kimberly-Clark struck a deal with pulp supplier Suzano (SUZ +0.24%) to form a new paper products company, Arbex. This benefits Kimberly-Clark by offloading its lower-margin paper-towel and tissue business, allowing it to focus on its higher-margin personal-care products. Kimberly-Clark also has a licensing agreement with Arbex to license its paper brands, so that will generate some licensing royalties.
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A greater focus on absorbing its Kenvue acquisition More importantly, it frees up resources for Kimberly-Clark to integrate its pending acquisition of Kenvue (KVUE +0.16%).
Kenvue, which makes skincare products like Aveeno and consumer health products like Band-Aid, Tylenol, and Listerine (to name just a few), spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. Kimberly-Clark sees it as a complementary fit, creating a global health and wellness leader, and expects the combination to maximize each company's strengths and accelerate growth.
Kimberly-Clark anticipates approximately $1.9 billion in cost synergies and roughly $500 million in profit from revenue synergies, within three to four years of the deal closing. It also expects to spend about $2.5 billion to realize these benefits in the first two years.
Long live the Dividend King Analysts are generally bullish on the acquisition, with several raising their price targets for the stock in recent weeks. They have a median price target of $113 per share, suggesting 5% upside. Shares are also cheap, trading at 14 times earnings.
I think Kimberly-Clark is a buy for its dividend alone. But investors may also see the added benefit of solid long-term returns following the major shift from this 154-year-old company.
A person poses with Tylenol in this illustration picture taken in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S. September 24, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah Beier Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
SummaryCompaniesDecision restores more than 500 lawsuitsPanel says doctors used methodologies other scientists also useKenvue defends Tylenol, sees no scientific link to autism and ADHDShares of Kenvue fallNEW YORK, July 13 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Monday revived more than 500 private lawsuits against Tylenol maker Kenvue (KVUE.N), opens new tab over the painkiller's alleged link to autism.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said a district court judge improperly excluded expert testimony from three doctors offered by parents and guardians who tied Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
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There is no firm scientific evidence of such a link. The issue drew greater attention after President Donald Trump and top U.S. health officials in September suggested a link to autism.
In a 64-page decision for a three-judge panel, Circuit Judge Guido Calabresi said the testimony from the three doctors, including the dean of Harvard University's School of Public Health, reflected methodologies used by other scientists, and "constitute acceptable interpretations of scientific evidence where scientists may, and in fact do, disagree."
Calabresi stressed that the appeals court was not deciding whether using acetaminophen causes autism or ADHD, or whether elected officials should do more to protect public health.
Doctors and medical societies consider acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, the preferred means to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.
Many retailers and pharmacy operators including CVS (CVS.N), opens new tab, Kroger (KR.N), opens new tab, Target (TGT.N), opens new tab, Walgreens and Walmart (WMT.O), opens new tab were also named as defendants.
KENVUE DEFENDS TYLENOL'S SAFETYIn a statement on Monday, Kenvue maintained that Tylenol is safe, and said the decision "does not change the fact that credible, independent science shows no proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder."
Kenvue plans to again try to show in court that the opinions of the plaintiffs' experts are unreliable.
In afternoon trading, Kenvue shares traded down 1.8% at $19.13, while Kimberly-Clark shares fell 2.7% to $109.34.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), opens new tab, Kenvue's former parent, made Tylenol for more than 60 years and has also defended its safety.
Kenvue agreed last November to be acquired by Kleenex tissue maker Kimberly-Clark (KMB.O), opens new tab for more than $40 billion. The transaction is expected to close this year. Kimberly-Clark did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
HARVARD DEAN'S TESTIMONY ALLOWEDThe appeals court said the doctors whose testimony was wrongly excluded included Harvard public health dean Andrea Baccarelli; Eric Hollander, a psychiatry professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Brandon Pearson, a toxicologist at Columbia University.
"We are pleased that the panel unanimously found that our key experts reliably applied their scientific methods and principles," Ashley Keller, a lawyer for the parents, said in an email.
Experts often play a key role in product liability lawsuits such as the Tylenol cases.
Kenvue is based in Summit, New Jersey, and was spun off in 2023 by Johnson & Johnson.
The private lawsuits were dismissed in December 2024 by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan, who criticized the methodology of the plaintiffs' expert witnesses.
Monday's decision returns the lawsuits to Cote for further proceedings.
Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Diana Novak Jones in Chicago; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Nick Zieminski, Nia Williams and David Gregorio
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
Healthcare has been an unloved corner of the market in 2026, but that neglect has created a rare setup: quality names trading in single-digit and low-double-digit territory while still throwing off cash, growing earnings, and reaffirming guidance. For retail investors scanning for value, the sub-$30 shelf in healthcare currently offers exposure to a pending strategic buyout, a 7% dividend yield backed by a reaffirmed outlook, and a restructuring story with multiple near-term FDA catalysts. That is a lot of optionality for very little share price.
With that in mind, here are three healthcare stocks trading under $30 that look attractively priced heading into the back half of 2026.
Kenvue (NYSE: KVUE) Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE | KVUE Price Prediction) is the consumer health company spun off from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), home to Tylenol, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Listerine, BAND-AID, Zyrtec, and Nicorette. Shares closed the last session at $19.83, comfortably under the $30 ceiling and up 17.65% year to date, which still leaves the stock below its 52-week high of $21.85.
The fundamentals are firming quickly. Q1 FY26 delivered adjusted EPS of $0.32 versus $0.26 expected, a 23.08% beat, on revenue of $3.91 billion, up 4.49% year over year. Gross margin expanded 90 basis points to 58.9% and adjusted operating margin reached 24.0%, while free cash flow climbed 60.64% to $400 million. Kenvue carries a forward P/E of 17 and a 4.28% dividend yield, with an analyst consensus price target of $19.50.
The bull case is anchored by the pending acquisition by Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB), structured as $3.50 cash per share plus 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares, expected to close in the second half of 2026 with shareholder approval already secured and the HSR waiting period expired. That gives holders a defined takeout floor while the underlying business keeps expanding margins. CEO Kirk Perry said the company is “confident in our ability to navigate ongoing macro uncertainty” as it works toward closing the combination.
The key risk is deal execution: foreign regulatory approvals could delay the timeline, and total debt has risen to $8.7 billion. Even so, with a takeout premium, margin momentum, and defensive brands, Kenvue looks like a low-volatility way to earn a return under $20. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) is one such name.
Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) Pfizer is one of the largest global biopharmaceutical companies, with a portfolio spanning oncology, vaccines, specialty care, and primary care. The stock last traded at $24.32, up just 0.97% year to date, keeping it well inside the under-$30 zone and near the low end of its $21.97 to $28.28 52-week range.
At current levels, Pfizer trades at a trailing P/E of 19 and a forward P/E of 8, with a dividend yield of 7.2% supported by a quarterly payout of $0.43 that has held steady since Q1 2025. Q1 FY26 marked the fifth consecutive EPS beat, with adjusted EPS of $0.75 versus $0.72 expected on revenue of $14.45 billion, up 5.4% year over year. Growth drivers included Padcev +39%, Nurtec ODT/Vydura +41%, Eliquis +13%, and Abrysvo +37%. The analyst consensus price target sits at $29.15, with 11 buy or strong buy ratings against 16 holds.
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The bull case rests on three pillars. First, the Vyndamax patent settlement extends U.S. exclusivity to June 2031, removing a major overhang on one of the company’s most profitable franchises. Second, management reaffirmed FY26 guidance of $59.5 to $62.5 billion in revenue and $2.80 to $3.00 in adjusted EPS. Third, the pipeline is loaded, with roughly 20 key pivotal trial starts planned in 2026, including 10 obesity assets from the Metsera acquisition. CEO Albert Bourla said Pfizer is “particularly encouraged by what we’re seeing in oncology and obesity.”
The risk profile is real. Pfizer faces a $1.5 billion expected revenue headwind from generics and biosimilars in 2026, ongoing COVID product declines (Comirnaty -59%, Paxlovid -63%), and pricing pressure from Most Favored Nation policy discussions. On Polymarket, traders currently give a 13% implied probability that the U.S. federal government takes a stake in Pfizer this year, a low-odds tail risk worth acknowledging. For income-oriented value investors, Pfizer offers a rare combination of a 7% yield, single-digit forward multiple, and a rebuilding growth story.
Viatris (NASDAQ: VTRS) Viatris (NASDAQ:VTRS) is a global pharmaceutical company blending generics and branded drugs, including Lipitor, Lyrica, EpiPen, Viagra, and Creon. Shares last changed hands at $16.70, up a remarkable 36.24% year to date and 85.74% over the past year, yet still trading materially below the $30 ceiling.
Even after the rally, valuation remains compressed. Viatris trades at a forward P/E of 7, a price-to-book of 1.327, and offers a 2.97% dividend yield from a $0.12 quarterly payout that has held steady for 16 consecutive quarters. Q1 FY26 delivered adjusted EPS of $0.59 versus $0.50 expected, a 17.53% beat, on revenue of $3.52 billion, up 8.1% year over year. Greater China net sales surged 22% to $680.1 million, brands grew 10% to $2.33 billion, and adjusted EBITDA rose 14% to $1.05 billion. The analyst consensus target of $17.81 is now within striking distance.
The bull case combines cost discipline with catalysts. Management is executing an enterprise-wide restructuring targeting $600 to $700 million in annualized cost savings with up to a 10% workforce reduction, and reaffirmed FY26 guidance of $14.45 to $14.95 billion in revenue, $2.33 to $2.47 in adjusted EPS, and $1.95 to $2.35 billion in free cash flow. The pipeline offers three near-term decisions: the contraceptive patch PDUFA on July 30, 2026, the MR-141 presbyopia PDUFA on October 17, 2026, and the non-opioid pain therapy MR-107A-02 decision expected December 27, 2026. CEO Scott Smith said the company is “well positioned to deliver on our full-year guidance.”
The risks are meaningful. Viatris posted a FY25 GAAP net loss of $3.51 billion including $2.9 billion in Q1 25 goodwill impairment, and continues to work through the Indore FDA warning letter and a $71.9 million writedown tied to the Nashik India facility fire. Generic pricing pressure in North America and Japan remains a persistent headwind. Still, with a mid-single-digit forward multiple, reaffirmed guidance, and three catalysts before year-end, Viatris looks like the highest-optionality name of the three.
The Bottom Line Kenvue, Pfizer, and Viatris each carry real risks, from deal timing and regulatory hurdles to patent cliffs, pricing policy, and manufacturing issues. What makes them interesting today is that their sub-$30 quotes come attached to reaffirmed 2026 guidance, expanding margins, and identifiable catalysts, not just cheap headline multiples. Investors should dig into the filings, weigh each risk against their own time horizon, and decide whether the setup matches their portfolio needs before acting.
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Passive income is characterized by its ability to generate revenue without requiring the earner’s continuous active effort, making it a desirable financial strategy for those seeking to diversify their income streams or achieve financial independence. The more passive income can help cover rising costs, such as mortgages, insurance, taxes, and other expenses, the easier it is for investors to set aside money for future needs as they prepare for retirement. Dependable recurring dividends from quality high-yield stocks are a recipe for success. When you have a portfolio that generates consistent, rising passive income and has the potential to deliver sizable total returns, you are in good financial shape. That’s why we love the idea of buying Dividend Kings that have lagged the market this year.
Companies that have raised dividends for shareholders for 50 years or more are the kinds of investments passive income investors need to own. Dependability is crucial for individuals seeking to increase their annual income through dividend stock investments. The Dividend Kings are the 56 companies that have raised their dividends for at least 50 consecutive years, a testament to their dependability and reliability. Those are two “must-have” items for investors who rely on passive income to boost their overall revenue. Unlike the Dividend Aristocrats, the Dividend Kings do not have to be members of the S&P 500.
With the stock market trading at massive all-time highs thanks to the AI/data center technology trade, which is the greatest momentum trade we have seen in a generation, for those looking for solid passive income and a potential total return home run, we found five Dividend Kings that may be the perfect idea for safety-conscious growth and income investors. All five are rated Buy by the top Wall Street firms we cover.
Abbott Laboratories This healthcare giant announced a 6.8% dividend increase in December, marking the 54th consecutive year of dividend growth, and its dividend has risen more than 70% since 2020, currently standing at 2.69%. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT | ABT Price Prediction) is a global healthcare company. Its principal business is the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad and diversified line of healthcare products. The stock has been trading near its 2026 lows. The decline stems from the lowered 2026 adjusted EPS guidance issued after the Exact Sciences acquisition. While Wall Street maintains a bullish longer-term view, the near-term guidance cut has weighed on the shares year to date.
Abbott Labs segments include:
Established Pharmaceutical Products, which is engaged in the international sales of a broad line of branded generic pharmaceutical products. Diagnostic Products sells diagnostic systems and tests worldwide to blood banks, hospitals, commercial laboratories, and alternative-care testing sites. Nutritional Products is engaged in worldwide sales of a broad line of adult and pediatric nutritional products. Medical Devices is involved in the worldwide sales of rhythm management, electrophysiology, heart failure, vascular, structural heart, neuromodulation, and diabetes care products. BTIG Research has a Buy rating with a $131 target price.
Hormel Foods Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) is an American food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota. Its stock trades at 13.07 times forward earnings estimates. Hormel offers dual pricing power through both branded products and private-label manufacturing, and a reliable 4.69% dividend. The company develops, processes, and distributes a range of meat, nuts, and other food products to retail, foodservice, deli, and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. Hormel has declined 17.4% over the past year, meaningfully underperforming the S&P 500, which has rallied nearly 14.4%. The stock continues to face pressure from higher input costs, elevated logistics expenses, and weak gross profit margins. Nevertheless, it remains one of the highest-yielding Dividend Kings.
It operates through three segments:
Retail Food Service International Hormel is a Dividend King with over 50 years of dividend increases and is a consumer staples company focused on protein-based packaged foods. Its yield is historically high, and the Hormel Foundation’s oversight ensures dividend reliability. It is restructuring its portfolio and cutting costs to improve performance.
The company provides various perishable products, including fresh meats, frozen items, refrigerated meal solutions, sausages, hams, guacamoles, and bacon, and shelf-stable products, including canned luncheon meats, nut butter, snack nuts, chili, shelf-stable microwaveable meals, hash, stews, tortillas, salsas, tortilla chips, nutritional food supplements, and others. It sells its products under these brands:
Hormel Always Tender Applegate Austin Blues Bacon 1 Black Label Bread Ready Burke Café H Ceratti Chi-Chi’s Columbus Compleats Corn Nuts Cure 81 Dan’s Prize Di Lusso Dinty Moore Don Miguel Doña Maria Embasa Fast N Easy Fire Braised Fontanini Happy Little Plants Herdez Hormel Gatherings Hormel Square Table Hormel Vital Cuisine House of Tsang Jennie-O Justin’s La Victoria Layout Lloyd’s Mary Kitchen Mr. Peanut Natural Choice Nut-rition Old Smokehouse Oven Ready Pillow Pack Planters Rosa Grande Sadler’s Smokehouse Skippy Spam Special Recipe Thick & Easy Valley Fresh Wholly Barclays has an Overweight rating with a $30 target price.
Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) is an American multinational personal care company that primarily produces paper-based consumer products. It manufactures and markets personal care and consumer tissue products worldwide. The company remains a persistent laggard among consumer staples Dividend Kings. The stock now offers an attractive dividend yield of 4.61%, a direct result of the significant price compression it has endured. Like Hormel, Kimberly-Clark has been pressured by tariff-related cost increases and softening consumer demand.
It operates through three segments. The Personal Care segment offers a diverse range of products, including:
Disposable diapers Swim pants, training and youth pants, baby wipes Feminine and incontinence care products, as well as related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, GoodNites, DryNites, Sweety, Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus, Depends, Plenitud, Softex, Poise, and other brand names The Consumer Tissue segment provides facial and bathroom tissues, paper towels, napkins, and related products under the brand names.
Kleenex Scott Cottonelle Viva Andrex Scottex Neve The K-C Professional segment offers wipers, tissues, towels, apparel, soaps, and sanitizers under the Kleenex, Scott, WypAll, Kimtech, and KleenGuard brands.
In 2025, Kimberly-Clark announced it would acquire Kenvue (NYSE: KVUE) in a $48.7 billion deal, with the transaction expected to close in the second half of 2026. The acquisition will create a combined consumer health and wellness company, with Kenvue shareholders receiving cash and stock. Kenvue shareholders will get $3.50 in cash plus 0.14625 shares of Kimberly-Clark.
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Bank of America has a Buy rating with a $120 target price.
PepsiCo This top consumer staples stock reported solid first-quarter earnings and will continue to supply all the goods for summer picnics and parties. PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) is a global food and beverage company with a very solid 4.20% dividend yield. Activist investor Elliott Investment Management recently took a $4 billion stake in PepsiCo, revealing a strategy to unlock value within the company’s iconic brand by focusing on core strengths, such as innovation and brand marketing, rather than its capital-intensive bottling operations. This move caused PepsiCo’s stock to surge, with Elliott believing the company could see over 50% upside if its proposed strategic changes were implemented. However, these changes would involve a very long-term transformation.
Its Frito-Lay North America segment offers:
Lays and Ruffles potato chips Doritos, Tostitos, and Santitas tortilla chips Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, branded dips Fritos corn chips The company’s Quaker Foods North America segment provides:
Quaker Oatmeal Grits Rice cakes Natural granola and oat squares Pearl Milling mixes and syrups Quaker Chewy granola bars Cap’n Crunch cereal Life cereal Rice-A-Roni side dishes PepsiCo’s North America Beverages segment offers beverage concentrates, fountain syrups, and finished goods under these brands:
Pepsi Gatorade Mountain Dew Diet Pepsi Aquafina Diet Mountain Dew Tropicana Pure Premium Sierra Mist Mug Goldman Sachs has a Buy rating with a $183 target price.
Stanley Black & Decker The world’s largest tool company has 50 manufacturing facilities in the United States and more than 100 worldwide, and shares trade at 13.54 times forward earnings estimates. With the potential for the economy to slow down somewhat, you can bet that the do-it-yourself legions will fix rather than buy new, and this legendary stock is a solid idea now. Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) provides hand tools, power tools, outdoor products, and related accessories in the United States, Canada, Other Americas, Europe, and Asia.
The company has struggled amid persistent weakness in the housing and construction markets. The stock carries an elevated dividend yield of 3.52%, reflecting significant price weakness over the past few years. It has traded near multi-year lows as the anticipated housing market recovery continues to stall.
Its Tools & Outdoor segment offers professional-grade corded and cordless electric power tools and equipment, including:
Drills Impact wrenches and drivers Grinders, saws, routers, and sanders Pneumatic tools and fasteners, such as nail guns, nails, staplers and staples, and concrete and masonry anchors; corded and cordless electric power tools Hand-held vacuums, paint tools, and cleaning appliances Leveling and layout tools, planes, hammers, demolition tools, clamps, vises, knives, saws, chisels, and industrial and automotive tools Drill bits, screwdriver bits, router bits, abrasives, saw blades, and threading products Toolboxes, sawhorses, medical cabinets, and engineered storage solutions Electric and gas-powered lawn and garden products This segment sells its products under these brand names:
DeWalt Craftsman Black+Decker Stanley Flex Volt Irwin Lenox The company’s Industrial segment provides:
Threaded fasteners, blind rivets and tools, blind inserts and tools Drawn arc weld studs and systems Engineered plastic and mechanical fasteners Self-piercing riveting systems Precision nut running systems Micro fasteners High-strength structural fasteners Axle swage, latches, heat shields, pins, couplings, fittings, and other engineered products Attachments used on excavators and handheld tools This segment sells its products through a direct sales force and third-party distributors to various industries, including automotive, manufacturing, electronics, construction, aerospace, and others.
Barclays has an Overweight rating on the shares and a $95 target price.
Final Thought The silver lining for income investors is that beaten-down Dividend Kings like Hormel and Kimberly-Clark are now offering historically attractive dividend yields. Because their share prices have fallen without any dividend cuts, and their legacy Dividend King status suggests they likely won’t ever be cut, new buyers can lock in significantly higher entry yields, essentially getting paid more income to wait patiently for a recovery.
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Kenvue (KVUE +0.61%) was a part of Johnson & Johnson until the parent company spun off its consumer health division to form the company nearly three years ago. As a spun-off entity, Kenvue retained the title of Dividend King, an elite group of public companies that have raised their dividend annually for 50 or more consecutive years.
Since the spinoff, Kenvue has continued to increase its dividend, including a 1.2% bump last year to $0.275 per share. That's 63 consecutive years of increases. The dividend yield is a sizable 4.53% at its current share price.
Here are three reasons to buy the healthcare stock hand over fist right now, either for income-oriented investors or as a short-term move:
Image source: Getty Images.
1. The impending Kimberly-Clark merger play The biggest catalyst on the horizon is Kenvue's pending $40 billion mega-merger with Kimberly-Clark (KMB +1.07%), which is also a Dividend King, with 54 consecutive years of dividend increases. This deal could transform Kenvue from a slow-growth spinoff into a lean, optimized consumer goods powerhouse.
Consumer staples company Kimberly-Clark said it expects the combined company to capture roughly $2.1 billion in run rate cost synergies. Instead of a centralized corporate bureaucracy, local markets are being given full profit-and-loss ownership, allowing them to move quickly while leveraging Kimberly-Clark's massive global supply chain and distribution network to expand margins.
Kenvue shareholders will receive $3.50 per share in cash, plus 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares for each Kenvue share held, for a total consideration of $21.01 per share. When the deal was announced, Kenvue's stock, not surprisingly, went to $21 per share, but now it trades around $18.32, so buying the stock before the merger finalizes offers investors a clear benefit of nearly $3 per share.
The deal has already been approved by stockholders at both companies, though it still must be approved by foreign regulators.
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2. A fortress portfolio of iconic brands Even in economic downturns, consumers rarely cut back on essential health and self-care items. Kenvue owns some of the most dominant, trusted pure-play consumer health products in the world, including pain medicines Tylenol and Motrin, allergy medicines Zyrtec and Benadryl, Listerine mouthwash, skin and beauty products Neutrogena and Aveeno, and first-aid stalwarts Band-Aid and Neosporin.
These are all household names, giving Kenvue significant pricing power to combat inflation. They have consistently demonstrated an ability to protect gross margins because customers prefer paying for trusted efficacy over generic store brands when it comes to their health.
If the Kimberly-Clark deal goes through, those iconic brands will benefit from the larger consumer company's supply chain. If the deal doesn't succeed, Kenvue is doing fine financially. In the first quarter, it reported revenue of $3.9 billion, up 4.5% year over year, and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.25, up 47% over the same period last year.
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3. A good dividend will get even better In a volatile market, Kenvue acts as an excellent ballast. The stock features an exceptionally low beta of 0.50, meaning it experiences only a fraction of the wild swings seen in the broader S&P 500.
More importantly for income investors, it boasts a hefty dividend yield. The best part is that high yield may even go up after the merger. Kimberly-Clarke's dividend yield is slightly higher at around 4.9%, while its payout yield is lower.
The one complication of the merger is that to realize the full benefit of the higher dividend, investors will need to spend the cash they receive from their Kenvue shares on additional Kimberly-Clark stock.
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Investors love dividend stocks because they provide dependable passive income streams and an excellent opportunity for solid total return. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time. In other words, the total return on an investment or portfolio consists of income and stock appreciation. At 24/7 Wall St., we have focused on dividend stocks for over 15 years because, despite the stock market’s ups and downs, many people need reliable passive income streams to supplement their income from employment or other sources such as Social Security and pensions.
While we have written many times over the years that a comfortable retirement likely will require much more than Social Security income, and while many Baby Boomers have enjoyed a long bull market over the past 35 years, there is a point when income becomes more critical than stock appreciation. The reason is simple: those who leave their careers to enjoy a well-deserved retirement lose the benefits of a regular salary and their jobs, such as 401(k) matching and company-paid healthcare. In addition, many Baby Boomers use their retirement years to travel and enjoy the rewards they have worked hard to achieve throughout their lives. Choosing investments wisely is imperative, and at 24/7 Wall St., we continually seek the best ideas for Baby Boomers and retirees.
Claude is a powerful AI assistant from Anthropic, a company focused on AI safety and research. While it works as an intelligent chatbot, its capabilities reach far beyond basic conversation. Built on advanced large language models (LLMs), Claude can write, code, analyze complex information, and handle a wide range of tasks with impressive skill and reliability.
Given the depth of intelligence and research capability, we asked Claude to find the safest stocks that yield over 5%. Seven companies were chosen, and five are among our top ideas for retirees. All are rated Buy at top Wall Street firms, and all are outstanding ideas for those seeking dependable passive income from safe companies.
Altria Altria (NYSE: MO | MO Price Prediction) is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of cigarettes and other tobacco-related products. It offers value investors a compelling entry point and is the undisputed yield leader among consumer staples Dividend Kings. The annual dividend is $4.24 per share, yielding 5.98%. The company has raised its dividend for 57 consecutive years while maintaining a healthy adjusted payout ratio of around 75%. The stock offers an attractive yield, but it carries meaningful tobacco-industry risks. Still, the payout has demonstrated strong resilience through numerous economic cycles.
Altria manufactures and sells smokable and oral tobacco products in the United States. It primarily sells cigarettes under the Marlboro brand, as well as:
Cigars and pipe tobacco, principally under the Black & Mild and Middleton brands Moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands on! Oral nicotine pouches e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand It sells its tobacco products primarily to wholesalers, including distributors and large retail organizations, such as chain stores.
Altria used to own over 10% of Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD), the world’s largest brewer. In 2024, the company sold 35 million of its 197 million shares through a global secondary offering. That represents 18% of its holdings but still leaves Altria with approximately 8% of the outstanding shares. Altria also announced a $2.4 billion stock repurchase plan partially funded by the sale.
Goldman Sachs has a Buy rating on Altria, with a $77 price target.
Enterprise Products Partners This top American midstream natural gas and crude oil pipeline company is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD) is one of the most extensive publicly traded energy partnerships and pays a reliable 5.88% dividend. The company’s debt-to-EBITDA ratio ranges from 3.1x to 3.4x, which is moderate for a midstream energy company, and its interest coverage ratio is 5x.
Enterprise Products Partners generates strong free cash flow, with an operating cash flow of approximately $8.8 billion, resulting in approximately $4.2 billion in free cash flow annually after deducting capital expenditures. Another significant benefit for shareholders is that most of the corporate debt is fixed-rate, thereby limiting the risk of rising interest rates.
Enterprise Products Partners provides various midstream energy services, including:
Gathering, processing, transporting, and storing natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL), and fractionation Import and export terminalling Offshore production platform services The company has four reportable business segments:
Natural Gas Pipelines and Services NGL Pipelines and Services Petrochemical Services Crude Oil Pipelines and Services One reason many analysts like the stock might be its distribution coverage ratio. The company’s coverage ratio is well above 1x, making it relatively less risky among the master limited partnerships.
Citigroup has a Buy rating with a $44 target price.
Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) is an American multinational personal care company that primarily produces paper-based consumer products. It manufactures and markets personal care and consumer tissue products worldwide. The company remains a persistent laggard among consumer staples Dividend Kings. The stock now offers an attractive dividend yield of 4.85%, a direct result of the significant price compression it has endured. Tariff-related cost increases and softening consumer demand have pressured Kimberly-Clark.
It operates through three segments. The Personal Care segment offers a diverse range of products, including:
Disposable diapers Swim pants, training and youth pants, baby wipes Feminine and incontinence care products, as well as related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, GoodNites, DryNites, Sweety, Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus, Depends, Plenitud, Softex, Poise, and other brand names The Consumer Tissue segment provides facial and bathroom tissues, paper towels, napkins, and related products under the brand names.
Kleenex Scott Cottonelle Viva Andrex Scottex Neve The K-C Professional segment offers wipers, tissues, towels, apparel, soaps, and sanitizers under the Kleenex, Scott, WypAll, Kimtech, and KleenGuard brands.
In 2025, Kimberly-Clark announced it would acquire Kenvue (NYSE: KVUE) in a $48.7 billion deal, with the transaction expected to close in the second half of 2026. The acquisition will create a combined consumer health and wellness company, with Kenvue shareholders receiving cash and stock. Kenvue shareholders will get $3.50 in cash plus 0.14625 shares of Kimberly-Clark.
Bank of America has a Buy rating with a $120 target price.
Realty Income Realty Income (NYSE: O) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that has paid monthly dividends consistently for years. It owns over 15,000 properties leased primarily to defensive retailers. This is an ideal stock for growth and income investors seeking a safer contrarian idea for the rest of 2026, with a 5.20% dividend yield. The S&P 500 company acquires and manages freestanding commercial properties that generate rental income under long-term net-lease agreements with its commercial clients.
It is engaged in a single business activity: leasing property to clients, generally on a net basis. This business activity spans various geographic boundaries and encompasses a range of property types and clients across multiple industries. Widely considered the gold standard of monthly dividend stocks, Realty Income has paid monthly dividends since 1969. It has paid 667 consecutive monthly dividends as of early 2026 and increased its dividend 132 times since its 1994 IPO.
The company owns or holds interests in approximately 15,621 properties in all 50 U.S. states and:
United Kingdom France Germany Ireland Italy Portugal Spain With clients operating in 89 industries, its property types include retail, industrial, gaming, and other categories such as agriculture and office.
Its primary industry concentrations include:
Grocery stores Convenience stores Dollar stores Drug stores Home improvement stores Restaurants Quick service Royal Bank of Canada has an Outperform rating with a $71 target price.
Verizon Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is an American multinational telecommunications company that continues to offer tremendous value. It trades at 9.37 times its estimated 2026 earnings and pays a 5.92% dividend. Verizon provides a range of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and government entities worldwide.
Verizon’s trailing 12-month interest coverage ratio is 4.6× to 5×, providing ample cushion for dividend payments. With a very predictable revenue stream from telecom services, the company has less exposure to commodity cycles. In addition, the large scale helps in financing and absorbing shocks.
It operates in two segments. The Consumer Group segment provides wireless services across the United States through Verizon and TracFone networks, as well as through wholesale and other arrangements. It also provides fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband through its wireless networks and related equipment and devices, such as:
Smartphones Tablets Smartwatches and other wireless-enabled connected devices The segment also offers wireline services in the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States through its fiber-optic network, Verizon Fios product portfolio, and copper-based network.
The Business Group segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including:
FWA broadband Data Video and conferencing Corporate networking Security and managed network Local and long-distance voice Network access services to deliver various IoT services and products to businesses, government customers, and wireless and wireline carriers in the United States and internationally.
Raymond James has an Outperform rating and a $56 price target.
Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among
After its product lineup faced a long-lasting headwind, beverage outfit PepsiCo may finally be back on track. Johnson & Johnson spinoff Kenvue is built for reliable recurring income.
I am upgrading Kimberly-Clark shares to a buy ahead of the planned Kenvue merger. The Kenvue deal offers significant cost synergies, enhanced bargaining power, and will position the entity as one of the industry's largest players. The company has raised its dividend for 53 consecutive years and shares currently yield more than 5%.
SUMMIT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE) will announce its first quarter 2026 financial results before the market opens on May 7, 2026. Due to the pending transaction with Kimberly-Clark, Kenvue will not be hosting a quarterly conference call to review its financial results. The press release will be available on the company's website at investors.kenvue.com. About Kenvue Kenvue Inc. is the world's largest pure-play consumer health company by revenue. Built on more than a century.
SUMMIT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2075 per share on its common stock. The quarterly dividend is payable on May 27, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 13, 2026. About Kenvue Kenvue Inc. is the world's largest pure-play consumer health company by revenue. Built on more than a century of heritage, our iconic brands, including Aveeno®, BAND-AID® Brand, Johnson's®, Li.
SUMMIT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE) today announced financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended March 29, 2026. “Our year is off to an encouraging start, as our continued efforts to strengthen the business and sharpen execution resulted in delivering net and organic sales growth for the second consecutive quarter, along with meaningful year-over-year improvement in gross margin, operating margin, and EPS,” said Kirk Perry, Chief Executive Officer. “We remain confide.
Tylenol-maker Kenvue on Thursday beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter revenue and profit helped by strong sales in its skin health and beauty brands.
Hershey is shifting from cost pressure to earnings expansion amid collapsing cocoa prices, aiding growth recovery and the dividend. General Mills offers an unusually high 7% yield because of temporary headwinds, while restructuring and its pet food segment provide a path back to stability.
Stock futures are treading water this morning as investors await the latest news on a potential peace deal with Iran and digest a slew of earnings reports; oil prices are falling again this morning amid optimism that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen soon; Arm Holdings shares are falling after the company cited a lack of supply and declining smartphone demand in its latest earnings report; shares of McDonald's and Shell are gaining ground after their earnings topped Wall Street estimates; and DoorDash shares are soaring after the food delivery platform reported solid results and issued a rosy outlook for orders. Here's what you need to know today.
Kenvue (KVUE) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.32 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.27 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.24 per share a year ago.
Kimberly-Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB, XETRA:KMY) has earned a repeat ‘Buy' rating and $120 price objective from Bank of America analysts, who believe that the company's acquisition of Kenvue assets could create long-term value despite near-term integration challenges. The analysts said the deal appears opportunistic, noting the acquisition multiple of about 14 times Kenvue's last-twelve-month adjusted EBITDA and a purchase price of $21.01 per share, roughly in line with Kenvue's market value before Tylenol-related headlines weighed on the stock in September 2025.
Investors with an interest in Consumer Products - Staples stocks have likely encountered both Kenvue (KVUE) and L'Oreal SA (LRLCY). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors?
Diamondback Energy's shares rose as the sharp rise in oil prices drove a broad rally across US-based oil producers. Consumer finance company Capital One underperformed during the quarter following its announced acquisition of Brex, an AI-native commercial fintech platform. We added global consumer staples leader Kimberly-Clark to the portfolio following its announced acquisition of Kenvue and subsequent share price decline.
