Dividend Kings In Focus: Kenvue – Sure Dividend

Revealed on November third, 2024 by Felix Martinez

The Dividend Kings are an illustrious group of corporations. They stand aside from the overwhelming majority of the market as a result of they’ve raised dividends for at the very least 50 consecutive years.

We consider that traders ought to view the Dividend Kings as essentially the most high-quality dividend development shares to purchase for the long run.

With this in thoughts, we created a full record of all of the Dividend Kings. You may obtain the complete record, together with necessary monetary metrics similar to dividend yields and price-to-earnings ratios, by clicking the hyperlink beneath:

This group is so unique that there are simply 53 corporations that qualify as a Dividend King.

Kenvue Inc. (KVUE) is the latest addition to the Dividend Kings record, having just lately been spun off from former father or mother firm Johnson & Johnson (JNJ).

This text will analyze Kenvue’s enterprise mannequin, future development catalysts, and anticipated returns.

Enterprise Overview

Kenvue operates within the healthcare sector as a shopper merchandise producer. In Might 2023, Kenvue was spun off from Johnson & Johnson. Now, Kenvue operates three segments: Self Care, Pores and skin Well being and Magnificence, and Important Well being.

Self Care’s product portfolio consists of cough, chilly, allergy, smoking cessation, and ache care merchandise amongst others. Pores and skin Well being and Magnificence holds merchandise similar to face, physique, hair, and solar care. Important Well being comprises merchandise for ladies’s well being, wound care, oral care, and child care.

Kenvue’s well-known manufacturers embody Tylenol, Listerine, Band-Support, Neutrogena, Nicorette, and Zyrtec. These companies contributed roughly 17% of Johnson & Johnson’s annual income.

The corporate reported its monetary outcomes for the second quarter of 2024, revealing web gross sales of $4.0 billion, a slight lower of 0.3% from the earlier 12 months. Nonetheless, the corporate achieved 1.5% natural development, primarily pushed by pricing methods and product combine modifications, offset by minor declines in quantity, significantly in Pores and skin Well being and Magnificence and Self Care segments. Kenvue’s diluted earnings per share (EPS) stood at $0.03, with an adjusted EPS of $0.32. The corporate highlighted productiveness positive factors which have enabled additional investments in its world manufacturers, aiming for sustained development.

Gross revenue margin improved considerably to 59.1%, up from 55.5% within the prior 12 months, as a result of enhanced provide chain efficiencies and pricing methods. Nonetheless, the working revenue margin dropped sharply to three.9% from 17.5%, attributed to asset impairments, model investments, and restructuring fees. The adjusted working revenue margin remained secure at 22.8%. Moreover, Kenvue incurred a $488 million non-cash impairment associated to its Dr.Ci enterprise, primarily as a result of shifting shopper developments in China, though the corporate stays dedicated to the model’s development.

For the complete 12 months 2024, Kenvue reaffirms its outlook, anticipating web gross sales development of 1.0% to three.0% and adjusted diluted EPS between $1.10 and $1.20. The efficient tax price for the quarter was notably decrease at 10.8% as a result of deferred tax changes from the asset impairment. Kenvue’s continued give attention to optimizing operations and model funding helps its purpose of remodeling right into a extra agile, growth-oriented group, with promising indicators of progress towards its long-term aims.

Supply: Investor Presentation

Development Prospects

Johnson & Johnson produced annual earnings development of seven% from 2013 to 2022, as the corporate’s diversification allowed it to be one of many extra secure corporations within the market. Kenvue consists of simply the buyer merchandise companies, which frequently produce the bottom ranges of development. Due to this fact, we anticipate Kenvue to develop earnings-per-share by 3% yearly by 2029.

Johnson & Johnson’s 61 consecutive years of dividend development is likely one of the longest out there. The corporate is each a Dividend King and a Dividend Aristocrat. We consider that Kenvue’s penchant for dividend development is in its enterprise DNA.

Aggressive Benefits & Recession Efficiency

Kenvue’s former father or mother firm, Johnson & Johnson, has confirmed to be one of the crucial profitable corporations at navigating recessions. Although Kenvue now not advantages from its father or mother firm’s diversification, we consider that it will show equally efficient at dealing with financial downturns.

Since Kenvue was a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson through the Nice Recession of 2008-2009, there isn’t any information on its earnings-per-share efficiency throughout that point. Nonetheless, traders can fairly infer that Kenvue would show an identical diploma of resilience throughout recessions as its former father or mother firm.

The corporate’s merchandise, similar to Band-Support and Tylenol, are wanted whatever the state of the economic system as they instantly have an effect on shoppers’ well being and well-being. As trusted merchandise, they want to proceed to carry out properly even below hostile situations.

General, Kenvue ought to proceed to lift its dividend for a lot of extra years because of its low payout ratio, first rate recession resilience, and wholesome steadiness sheet.

Valuation & Anticipated Returns

We anticipate Kenvue to generate adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.15 for 2024. Due to this fact, Kenvue shares at present commerce for a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.9. For context, Johnson & Johnson shares have had a mean price-to-earner ratio of near 19 since 2013.

Countering the truth that Kenvue holds a number of the industry-leading manufacturers and that its merchandise had been lower-margin companies inside the father or mother firm, we’ve got a goal price-to-earnings ratio of 14 for the inventory. This suggests a headwind from a number of contraction.

Due to this fact, if the inventory had been to succeed in our goal a number of by 2029, valuation may scale back annual returns by 4.5%. EPS development (estimated at 3% per 12 months) and dividends will generate constructive returns.

Placing all of it collectively, complete returns are anticipated to succeed in 2.1% per 12 months by 2029. This isn’t a strong anticipated price of return that makes the inventory a maintain.

Ultimate Ideas

Kenvue is a brand new addition to the Dividend Aristocrats record. After a long time as a part of Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue grew to become an impartial entity. As such, the corporate has produced first rate outcomes.

Whereas we discover the legacy enterprise recession-resistant and the excessive dividend yield enticing for revenue traders, the full return profile shouldn’t be excessive sufficient for a purchase suggestion. We price KVUE inventory a maintain.

Moreover, the next Positive Dividend databases include essentially the most dependable dividend growers in our funding universe:

The Dividend Champions: Dividend shares with 25+ years of dividend will increase, together with these that won’t qualify as Dividend Aristocrats.
The Finest DRIP Shares: The highest 15 Dividend Aristocrats with no-fee dividend reinvestment plans.

If you happen to’re in search of shares with distinctive dividend traits, think about the next Positive Dividend databases:

The foremost home inventory market indices are one other strong useful resource for locating funding concepts. Positive Dividend compiles the next inventory market databases and updates them month-to-month: