KVUE vs CL: Kenvue vs Colgate-Palmolive Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Kenvue and Colgate both have oral care products (Listerine vs Colgate toothpaste) but largely serve different consumer health categories. Colgate is more diversified with Hill's Pet Nutrition as a high-growth segment, while Kenvue is broader across skin health, self-care, and OTC medicine.
KVUE vs CL is focused consumer health brand portfolio versus oral care dominance plus pet nutrition growth — Kenvue wins if skin health and OTC brand investment drives organic growth; Colgate wins if Hill's Pet Nutrition sustains premium pet food share gains alongside global oral care compounding.
CL holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. CL has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+19.37% vs +14.82%), though KVUE has the better forward P/E setup (15.37x vs 22.09x for CL). CL leads on both revenue growth (4.90%) and operating margin (20.97%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for CL (+9.04%) than for KVUE (+2.15%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- want broader consumer health exposure across OTC, skin care, and oral care categories
- prefer Kenvue's younger dividend track record at a potentially lower valuation
- value the diversity of Tylenol, Neutrogena, Listerine, and Band-Aid in one company
- are comfortable with Kenvue's post-separation debt as a temporary constraint
- prefer global oral care dominance with Colgate toothpaste's #1 worldwide market share
- value Hill's Pet Nutrition as a high-growth premium pet food segment within a defensive staples company
- want 60+ years of consecutive dividend increases as a proven income compounder
- prefer Colgate's longer dividend growth track record over Kenvue's shorter history as a public company
| Metric | KVUE | CL |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 23.9 | 41.9 |
| AI ranki | #3168 | #941 |
| Latest closei | $18.67 | $92.67 |
| 1M returni | +4.19% | +6.52% |
| 3M returni | -1.84% | -1.49% |
| 6M returni | +6.93% | +10.82% |
| 1Y returni | +14.82% | +19.37% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | KVUE | CL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $13.23K (+32.3%) started 2025-10-16 | $11.87K (+18.7%) started 2025-10-16 |
| 5Y ago | $8.11K (-18.9%) started 2023-05-04 | $14.74K (+47.4%) started 2021-10-18 |
| 10Y ago | $8.11K (-18.9%) started 2023-05-04 | $19.81K (+98.1%) started 2016-10-17 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | KVUE | CL |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $36.67B | $72.34B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 22.46 | 35.73 |
| Forward P/Ei | 15.37 | 22.09 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 2.82 | 3.76 |
| Analyst targeti | $19.50 | $98.95 |
| Target upsidei | +2.15% | +9.04% |
| Metric | KVUE | CL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 3.00% | 4.90% |
| Earnings growthi | 8.50% | -5.50% |
| EPS growthi | +8.50% | -5.50% |
| FCF margini | +12.38% | +16.43% |
| Operating margini | 19.42% | 20.97% |
| Profit margini | 10.76% | 9.68% |
| ROIC proxyi | 15.58% | 267.37% |
| Return on equityi | 15.58% | 267.37% |
| Dividend yieldi | 4.48% | 2.34% |
| Payout ratioi | 96.51% | 82.28% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 0.43 | 0.33 |
| Debt/equityi | 81.62 | 1388.16 |
| Current ratioi | 1.00 | 1.03 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.61 | 0.56 |
Over the past year, KVUE and CL have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.46), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | KVUE | CL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +32.32% | +18.69% |
| CAGRi | +32.38% | +18.72% | |
| Volatilityi | 25.59% | 22.58% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.05 | 0.68 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.83 | 1.02 | |
| Max drawdowni | 13.26% | 17.48% | |
| Current drawdowni | 5.85% | 6.53% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 4.84% | 7.12% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 6.18% | 8.67% | |
| Max daily dropi | 3.92% | 3.85% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 7.00% | 7.16% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -25.07% | +34.49% |
| CAGRi | -8.02% | +6.11% | |
| Volatilityi | 28.00% | 19.19% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.32 | 0.17 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.46 | 0.24 | |
| Max drawdowni | 44.61% | 29.94% | |
| Current drawdowni | 26.70% | 13.41% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 22.01% | 10.62% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 23.86% | 12.99% | |
| Max daily dropi | 13.22% | 5.22% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 16.21% | 8.10% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | -25.07% | +57.88% |
| CAGRi | -8.02% | +4.67% | |
| Volatilityi | 28.00% | 19.96% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.32 | 0.10 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.46 | 0.15 | |
| Max drawdowni | 44.61% | 29.94% | |
| Current drawdowni | 26.70% | 13.41% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 22.01% | 9.09% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 23.86% | 11.24% | |
| Max daily dropi | 13.22% | 9.78% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 16.21% | 12.85% |
| Category | KVUE | CL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Kenvue Inc. | Colgate-Palmolive Company |
| Sector | Consumer Defensive | Consumer Defensive |
| Industry | Household & Personal Products | Household & Personal Products |
| Core business | Consumer health spin-off from J&J with Tylenol, Neutrogena, Listerine, Band-Aid, Aveeno, and Nicorette. Three segments: skin health & beauty, essential health, and self care. | Global consumer goods company with oral care (#1 global toothpaste brand), personal care, home care, and Hill's Pet Nutrition (premium pet food). Colgate is the dominant oral care brand globally with strong emerging market presence. |
| Investor focus | Brand portfolio organic growth, margin expansion post-separation, Neutrogena recovery, and dividend sustainability. | Oral care market share vs P&G and private label, Hill's Pet Nutrition growth, pricing and volume balance, and dividend growth (60+ consecutive years). |
- #1 or #2 market-share brands in major consumer health categories with decades of consumer trust
- Listerine competes directly with Colgate in oral care — a differentiated mouthwash franchise vs Colgate's toothpaste dominance
- Independence allows focused management attention on the consumer health portfolio
- Colgate is the #1 toothpaste brand globally — a truly essential consumer product with near-perfect retail availability
- Hill's Pet Nutrition is a high-growth premium pet food brand gaining share in the vet-recommended segment
- 60+ years of consecutive dividend increases places Colgate among the most reliable dividend growth stocks
- Post-spin leverage limits capital allocation flexibility
- Generic and private-label competition in OTC health products can pressure volume
- Some brands (Neutrogena) face category headwinds from premium skin care competition
- Private-label toothpaste and oral care competition in developed markets puts volume pressure on Colgate's premium pricing
- Hill's Pet Nutrition competes against Royal Canin (Mars) and Purina Pro Plan (Nestlé) in prescription and premium pet food
- Colgate's skin care portfolio is smaller and less differentiated vs Kenvue's Neutrogena and Aveeno
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