Sarasin & Partners LLP Decreases Stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Sarasin & Partners LLP trimmed its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 29.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,445,897 shares of the company’s stock after selling 602,647 shares during the period. Kimberly-Clark comprises about 1.5% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $145,877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $851,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765 shares in the last quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 5,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $767,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 19.9% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,060,000 after purchasing an additional 31,038 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,003,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $129,423,000 after purchasing an additional 63,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 129,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,558,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on KMB. BNP Paribas Exane reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 price target on Kimberly-Clark in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research cut Kimberly-Clark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $133.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.42.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $317,980.21. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KMB opened at $98.25 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12 month low of $96.26 and a 12 month high of $147.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $103.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.06.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.28 dividend. 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. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is currently 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.