Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Acquires 6,588 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lifted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 108,454 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,588 shares during the period. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $13,485,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 186.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 43,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,408,000 after purchasing an additional 28,335 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.5% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,439,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,448,000 after purchasing an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.4% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 591,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,234,000 after buying an additional 19,298 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 100.0% during the third quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 38,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,932,000 after buying an additional 19,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5,751.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 94,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,146,000 after acquiring an additional 92,601 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total value of $317,980.21. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KMB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $127.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Argus upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Evercore reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and issued a $120.00 price target (down previously from $150.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.00.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $110.51 on Tuesday. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12-month low of $96.26 and a 12-month high of $150.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $102.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.68 billion, a PE ratio of 18.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.26.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 170.48%. The company had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is 83.03%.

Kimberly-Clark Profile

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a U.S.-based multinational manufacturer of personal care and consumer tissue products. The company develops, produces and markets a range of consumer brands and professional products, including facial and bathroom tissues, disposable diapers and training pants, feminine care, incontinence products and workplace hygiene solutions. Known for consumer-facing names such as Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex, Cottonelle and Scott, as well as professional offerings under Kimberly-Clark Professional and KleenGuard, the company supplies goods to retail, healthcare and institutional customers.

Founded in 1872 in Neenah, Wisconsin, Kimberly-Clark has expanded from its 19th-century paper-making roots into a global household and workplace products company.