New York, Feb 18, 2026, 08:42 ET — Premarket
- KVUE dropped 1.55% on Tuesday, closing at $18.41, after investors digested details of a fresh restructuring plan.
- Kenvue is looking at roughly $250 million in pre-tax charges for 2026, along with plans to trim its workforce by around 3.5%.
- Fourth-quarter sales and adjusted earnings came in ahead of forecasts, with the company pushing forward on its planned Kimberly-Clark acquisition.
Kenvue Inc (NYSE: KVUE) drew attention before the bell Wednesday, with shares in focus as the consumer health group unveiled a restructuring plan and job cuts projected to run up about $250 million in costs this year. The Tylenol maker also topped Wall Street’s fourth-quarter profit forecasts.
This comes at a tricky moment. Kenvue is already locked into a sale agreement with Kimberly-Clark, so the shares are moving under the weight of deal terms, pending regulatory approvals, and even the smallest suggestion that something could stall execution.
With the transaction still hanging, management isn’t offering any forward guidance right now. Traders are left to dissect cost moves, momentum behind the brand, and the pace of those last approvals.
Kenvue ended Tuesday down 1.55% at $18.41, breaking a nine-day run of gains, MarketWatch reported.
Kenvue’s board has signed off on a move to simplify its operating setup and overhaul the supply chain, according to an SEC filing. The company is targeting a net cut of around 3.5% of its workforce and anticipates about $250 million in pre-tax restructuring and related charges for fiscal 2026. Of that, approximately 59% is expected to go to IT and project costs, with about 35% allocated to employee-related expenses.
Kenvue’s net sales landed at $3.78 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 28, topping analyst forecasts of $3.68 billion, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters. Adjusted earnings came in at 27 cents a share, five cents over expectations. Self Care revenue edged up 1.5% to $1.59 billion, while Essential Health jumped 6.1% to $1.15 billion.
Kenvue reported that organic sales—excluding currency swings—were up 1.2%, with gains from “value realization” (pricing and mix) more than offsetting the 1.1% drop in volume. “We ended 2025 with stronger top- and bottom-line performance in the fourth quarter,” Chief Executive Kirk Perry said. He also emphasized the company’s focus on closing the Kimberly-Clark deal. U.S. antitrust waiting periods have lapsed, Kenvue said, but it’s still waiting on some foreign regulatory sign-offs. Kenvue Inc.
Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ: KMB) struck a deal back in November to acquire Kenvue, putting $3.50 in cash and 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares on the table for each Kenvue share. Both companies are eyeing the second half of 2026 for closing.
Canaccord Genuity bumped its price target on Kenvue to $18, up from the previous $17, while sticking with a hold rating, according to MT Newswires.
Starboard Value ramped up its position in Kenvue to 27.3 million shares by Dec. 31, a stake valued near $471 million, its latest quarterly filing shows. The firm previously held 20.9 million shares at September’s close.
The risks here aren’t hard to spot. Foreign regulators haven’t yet signed off on the deal, and the company’s own projection for restructuring expenses might shift as things progress. Plus, with the cash-and-stock setup, Kenvue’s implied acquisition price is vulnerable to volatility in Kimberly-Clark shares.
Wednesday’s regular session puts a spotlight on KVUE—traders are looking to see if the stock edges nearer to the implied deal price, and if signs still point to a second-half 2026 close. Kenvue is set to pay its next quarterly dividend of $0.2075 per share on Feb. 25.
