Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Receives $118.33 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $118.5833.

KMB has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays set a $102.00 target price on Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Argus upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $99.54 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark has a 12 month low of $96.26 and a 12 month high of $150.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $102.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.76.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. Kimberly-Clark’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.28%.

Institutional Trading of Kimberly-Clark

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 14.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 40,435,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,212,942,000 after purchasing an additional 5,200,011 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter worth about $556,114,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,839,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $790,934,000 after acquiring an additional 2,628,206 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 350.2% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,583,193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,105,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231,501 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 20,830,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,615,382,000 after acquiring an additional 997,397 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Kimberly-Clark

Here are the key news stories impacting Kimberly-Clark this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and margin progress — KMB topped EPS estimates ($1.86 vs. $1.81) and reported organic sales up 2.1%, with cost cuts helping margins. This supports near‑term cash flow and buyback/dividend capacity. Reuters: Kimberly‑Clark tops quarterly profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — board raised the quarterly payout to $1.28 (≈5.1% yield), signaling confidence and supporting income investors. PR Newswire: Dividend Increase
• Positive Sentiment: 2026 profit outlook — management expects double‑digit profit growth in 2026, which underpins bullish longer‑term earnings expectations if execution continues. MSN: Profits to rise double‑digit
• Positive Sentiment: Premiumization tailwind — Kimberly‑Clark (Huggies) is pushing premium diaper products alongside P&G, which can improve mix and margins if consumer willingness to pay persists. MarketWatch: Diaper premiumization
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/upgrades commentary — some bullish research and commentary argues the Kenvue deal will be accretive and has prompted upgrades as the purchase approaches. Seeking Alpha: Upgrade analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Kenvue merger vote imminent — shareholders face a Jan. 29 vote on the Kenvue acquisition; approval could be a big positive, but the outcome and regulatory/financing details create near‑term uncertainty. Barchart: Kenvue merger vote
• Neutral Sentiment: Portfolio reshaping coverage — media roundups highlight the Kenvue deal and higher dividend as strategic moves; impact depends on integration and investor acceptance. Yahoo Finance: Portfolio reshaping
• Neutral Sentiment: TV pundit view — Jim Cramer noted the merger could “keep this stock in its place,” reflecting mixed expectations from high‑profile commentators. MSN: Jim Cramer commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest spike — short interest rose ~20.8% to ~32.3M shares (≈9.8% of float), increasing downside risk and potential volatility. (Internal short‑interest data)
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and portfolio exit effects — revenue slightly missed Street expectations and was down year‑over‑year, partly due to the exit from the U.S. private‑label diaper business, which could pressure near‑term sales comparisons. Zacks: Revenue & organic sales
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term price pressure — the stock is down today as the market weighs deal uncertainty and the short‑interest build despite the earnings beat and dividend lift.

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.