KVUE vs. UL: Kenvue vs. Unilever Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL) are both classified in the Personal Care Products sub-industry within the broader Personal Care Products industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Unilever (UL) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 25, 1980, whereas Kenvue (KVUE) listed on May 4, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Kenvue (KVUE) trades as ordinary local shares, while Unilever (UL) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Profile Item	KVUE	UL
Name	Kenvue Inc.	Unilever PLC Sponsored American Depositary Receipt
Country/Region	United States	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Household & Personal Products	Household & Personal Products
GICS Industry	Personal Care Products	Personal Care Products
GICS Sub-Industry	Personal Care Products	Personal Care Products
Market Capitalization	36.88 billion USD	133.70 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 4, 2023	March 25, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

KVUE

GSPC

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Metric	KVUE	UL
Total Return (1Y)	-4.44%	-6.71%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-1.48%	5.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	--	2.61%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

KVUE

GSPC

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Metric	KVUE	UL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	32.33%	24.06%
Beta (5Y)	0.46	0.41
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-44.08%	-25.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)	20.42M	4.20M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

KVUE and UL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Metric	KVUE	UL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.26	-0.44
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.35	-0.64

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 31.87% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Kenvue (KVUE) at 15.58% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UL.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

15.58%

Max: 42.18%
Q3: 30.68%
KVUE: 15.58%
Median: 15.51%
Q1: -0.54%
Min: -20.43%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

31.87%

Max: 42.18%
UL: 31.87%
Q3: 30.68%
Median: 15.51%
Q1: -0.54%
Min: -20.43%

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their ROE against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 18.32% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Kenvue (KVUE) at 10.76%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

10.76%

Max: 18.44%
Q3: 11.31%
KVUE: 10.76%
Median: 7.12%
Q1: 0.51%
Min: -9.20%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

18.32%

Max: 18.44%
UL: 18.32%
Q3: 11.31%
Median: 7.12%
Q1: 0.51%
Min: -9.20%

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their net margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Kenvue (KVUE) at 19.42% and Unilever (UL) at 20.35% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

19.42%

Max: 24.77%
KVUE: 19.42%
Q3: 19.31%
Median: 14.31%
Q1: 11.80%
Min: 8.81%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.35%

Max: 24.77%
UL: 20.35%
Q3: 19.31%
Median: 14.31%
Q1: 11.80%
Min: 8.81%

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Metric	KVUE	UL
ROE (TTM)	15.58%	31.87%
ROA (TTM)	6.99%	8.29%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.76%	18.32%
Operating Margin (TTM)	19.42%	20.35%
Gross Margin (TTM)	58.44%	47.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Kenvue (KVUE) at -2.14% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Unilever (UL) at -3.77% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Kenvue (KVUE) at 40.74% and Unilever (UL) at 67.69% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Metric	KVUE	UL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-2.14%	-3.77%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.39%	-5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)	40.74%	67.69%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.40%	8.70%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Kenvue (KVUE) at 1.01 and Unilever (UL) at 0.74 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.01

Max: 4.06
Q3: 3.23
Median: 1.85
Q1: 1.01
KVUE: 1.01
Min: 0.66

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.74

Max: 4.06
Q3: 3.23
Median: 1.85
Q1: 1.01
UL: 0.74
Min: 0.66

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Kenvue (KVUE) at 0.82 and Unilever (UL) at 1.75 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.82

Max: 3.49
Q3: 1.82
KVUE: 0.82
Median: 0.80
Q1: 0.42
Min: 0.06

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.75

Max: 3.49
Q3: 1.82
UL: 1.75
Median: 0.80
Q1: 0.42
Min: 0.06

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Metric	KVUE	UL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.01	0.74
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.82	1.75
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.16	2.41

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Kenvue (KVUE) at 4.32% and Unilever (UL) at 3.01% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

4.32%

Max: 5.29%
KVUE: 4.32%
Q3: 2.91%
Median: 1.40%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

3.01%

Max: 5.29%
UL: 3.01%
Q3: 2.91%
Median: 1.40%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 78.60% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Kenvue (KVUE) at 97.65% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

97.65%

Max: 103.12%
KVUE: 97.65%
Q3: 81.36%
Median: 47.99%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

78.60%

Max: 103.12%
Q3: 81.36%
UL: 78.60%
Median: 47.99%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Metric	KVUE	UL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.32%	3.01%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	97.65%	78.60%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Kenvue (KVUE) at 22.59 and Unilever (UL) at 20.98 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

22.59

Max: 36.20
Q3: 24.73
KVUE: 22.59
Median: 21.81
Q1: 16.57
Min: 7.57

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.98

Max: 36.20
Q3: 24.73
Median: 21.81
UL: 20.98
Q1: 16.57
Min: 7.57

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Kenvue (KVUE) at 2.39 and Unilever (UL) at 2.64 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.39

Max: 4.75
Q3: 3.28
KVUE: 2.39
Median: 2.00
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.07

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.64

Max: 4.75
Q3: 3.28
UL: 2.64
Median: 2.00
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.07

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Kenvue (KVUE) at 3.49 and Unilever (UL) at 7.15 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

KVUE

Household & Personal Products industry group

3.49

Max: 11.05
Q3: 7.77
Median: 3.83
KVUE: 3.49
Q1: 1.41
Min: -2.72

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

7.15

Max: 11.05
Q3: 7.77
UL: 7.15
Median: 3.83
Q1: 1.41
Min: -2.72

Kenvue (KVUE) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Kenvue (KVUE) and Unilever (UL)
Metric	KVUE	UL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	22.59	20.98
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.39	2.64
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.49	7.15
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.17%	5.04%