Kimberly-Clark is buying Tylenol maker Kenvue in a cash and stock deal worth about $48.7 billion, creating a massive consumer health goods company.<\/p>\n
Shareholders of Kimberly-Clark will own about 54% of the combined company. Kenvue shareholders will own about 46% in what is one of the largest corporate takeovers this year. <\/p>\n
The combined company will have a huge stable of household brands under one roof, putting Kenvue\u2019s Listerine mouthwash and Band-Aid side-by-side with Kimberly-Clark\u2019s Cottonelle toilet paper, Huggies and Kleenex tissues. It will also generate about $32 billion in annual revenue. <\/p>\n
Kenvue has spent a relatively brief period as an independent company, having been spun off by Johnson & Johnson<\/a> two years ago. J&J first announced in late 2021 that it was splitting its slow-growth consumer health division<\/a> from the pharmaceutical and medical device divisions. <\/p>\n Kenvue has since been targeted by activist investors unhappy about the trajectory of the company and Wall Street appeared to anticipate some heavy lifting ahead for Kimberly-Clark. <\/p>\n Shares of Kimberly-Clark, based in just outside of Dallas, slumped more than 13% on Monday. Kenvue\u2019s stock jumped more than 14%. <\/p>\n Kenvue and Tylenol have been thrust into the national spotlight this year as President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties<\/a> between Tylenol, vaccines and the complex brain disorder autism<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump then urged pregnant women<\/a> against using the medicine. That went beyond Food and Drug Administration advice that doctors \u201cshould consider minimizing\u201d the painkiller acetaminophen\u2019s use in pregnancy \u2014 amid inconclusive evidence about whether too much could be linked to autism. <\/p>\n Kennedy reiterated the FDA guidance during a press conference last week. He said that there isn\u2019t sufficient evidence to link the drug to autism. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have asked physicians to minimize the use to when its absolutely necessary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Kenvue has continued to push back on the Trump administration\u2019s public statements about Tylenol and acetaminophen, the active ingredient it contains. <\/p>\n \u201cNothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products,\u201d Kenvue said in a statement on its website. \u201cWe believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with allegations that it does and are deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.\u201d<\/p>\n But Kenvue has been a disappointment for investors and it\u2019s stock is down more than 23% this year. Critics say growth has stalled and the company has relied too much on its legacy brands and failed to innovate. <\/p>\n Industry analysts with Citi point out the poor track record for mergers involving consumer packaged goods companies. <\/p>\n