Brokerages Set Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) PT at $116.79

Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $117.9286.

KMB has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Wednesday, June 24th.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 2.2%

KMB stock opened at $109.70 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $36.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark has a fifty-two week low of $92.42 and a fifty-two week high of $137.46. The business has a 50-day moving average of $104.38 and a 200-day moving average of $101.99.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 152.79% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.93 EPS. Kimberly-Clark’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.38%.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total value of $152,162.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $797,233.08. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was 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. Insiders have sold a total of 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kimberly-Clark

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

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.