Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 31.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 100,670 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,632 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $9,712,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ally Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at $1,009,000. Westpac Banking Corp raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 10,811 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,774,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,258,000 after acquiring an additional 334,598 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 14,115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% in 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 acquiring 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 Price Performance

Shares of KMB opened at $108.99 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $102.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.69. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a twelve month low of $92.42 and a twelve month high of $137.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.18 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.26.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The business had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.93 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a dividend of $1.28 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 80.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $401,310.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction of $152,162.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $797,233.08. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687 in the last three months. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on KMB shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $106.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.79.

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.