Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Receives $116.79 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com 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 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $117.9286.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective 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. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Wednesday, June 24th.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of KMB opened at $108.88 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark has a twelve month low of $92.42 and a twelve month high of $137.46. The company has a market cap of $36.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $103.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.90.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 152.79% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.93 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $401,310.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KMB. Ally Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,009,000. Westpac Banking Corp grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 54,135 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,462,000 after purchasing an additional 10,811 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,774,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,258,000 after purchasing an additional 334,598 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 29.6% in the fourth quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas now owns 61,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,234,000 after purchasing an additional 14,115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,839,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $790,934,000 after buying an additional 2,628,206 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.