Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $116.4167.

A number of research firms have recently commented on KMB. Zacks Research cut Kimberly-Clark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of Kimberly-Clark 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 11,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.9% in the second quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $568,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.5% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.6% in the second quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 9.4% during the second quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd now owns 1,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Down 0.3%

KMB stock opened at $98.25 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark has a 52-week low of $96.26 and a 52-week high of $147.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. The firm has a market cap of $32.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.19, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $103.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.06.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 170.48% and a net margin of 11.73%.Kimberly-Clark’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.35%.

About Kimberly-Clark

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.