New York, Feb 7, 2026, 07:20 EST — The session has ended.
- Kenvue (KVUE) finished Friday at $18.13, ticking up 0.33%. Roughly 63.5 million shares changed hands. 1
- Kimberly-Clark’s bid comes in at $3.50 in cash per share, plus 0.14625 shares of KMB. With KMB last trading around $104.33, that pegs Kenvue’s value close to $18.76 a share. So, the deal spread sits near $0.63, or a bit over 3%. 2
- Mark Feb. 11 as the record date for the dividend. KVUE is slated to release its results on Feb. 17, but with a transaction still in the works, the company won’t be holding a quarterly conference call. 3
Kenvue Inc edged up 0.3% to $18.13 on Friday, with the Tylenol maker’s stock holding near the price set in its pending deal with Kimberly-Clark as the week wrapped up.
No action from U.S. markets with the holiday, so Monday’s trade will probably center on deal moves rather than usual corporate talk. Kenvue’s in classic merger territory, with KVUE pricing basically tracking the difference between its current price and the buyer’s stated offer.
This is important now—the gap’s narrow and volatile. Any shift in Kimberly-Clark shares instantly alters the stock part of the offer, pushing KVUE’s trading price up or down as it happens.
Kenvue holders will get $3.50 in cash for each share, plus 0.14625 shares of Kimberly-Clark when the deal closes. Based on Kimberly-Clark’s recent trading price near $104, the package values Kenvue at roughly $18.8 per share—though KVUE is still trading a bit under that level.
The gap between the target’s share price and what the cash-and-stock offer is worth—known as the deal spread—offers a snapshot of risk and timing. Investors may push that spread wider when they anticipate regulatory hurdles, potential delays, or if the buyer’s shares slip in value.
Shareholders at Kenvue and Kimberly-Clark signed off on the acquisition proposals Jan. 29, both companies said. They’re sticking with their previous timeline, aiming to wrap up the deal in the back half of 2026, pending regulatory sign-off and other closing conditions. 4
The tape on Friday had the bulls in control. Dow finished north of 50,000 for the first time ever, while the S&P 500 tacked on almost 2%. That kind of surge usually favors merger stocks—volatility drops, spreads get a little snugger. 5
Kenvue’s dividend record date lands on Feb. 11—right around the corner. Normally, that detail isn’t front-and-center for a deal stock, but it does affect short-term trading as investors pick sides on whether to hold through the date or step out early.
Circle Feb. 17. Kenvue will drop its results that day—no conference call this time. With no Q&A to pick apart, traders will have to dig into the figures themselves, parsing every line and any hints about how the company is faring after the transaction.
The final payout for Kenvue shareholders hinges on Kimberly-Clark’s stock price. Regulatory approvals and various other hurdles remain. Kenvue, for its part, has battled lawsuits related to products such as Tylenol and talc-based baby powder. TD Cowen’s Robert Moskow described the Tylenol litigation threat as “hard to quantify.” 6
KVUE’s calendar shows the Feb. 11 record date coming up, followed by results dropping after the bell on Feb. 17. Until those hit, the spread stays under the microscope, with Kimberly-Clark’s stock in focus for anything that might change the deal math.
