Associated Banc Corp Lowers Stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Associated Banc Corp lowered its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 445,707 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,973 shares during the period. Kimberly-Clark makes up approximately 1.2% of Associated Banc Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Associated Banc Corp’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $44,967,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in KMB. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KMB opened at $99.14 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $97.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.39. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12 month low of $92.42 and a 12 month high of $144.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.29.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.93 EPS. Kimberly-Clark’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.2%. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is currently 80.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on KMB. Zacks Research cut shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total value of $152,162.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $797,233.08. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $401,310.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Company 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.