Wedmont Private Capital Grows Stock Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB – Get Rating) by 18.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,140 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 336 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth about $216,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 8,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,201,000 after buying an additional 742 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 71.1% in the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 640 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 5,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $720,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,617,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on KMB shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $137.00 to $139.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $124.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $128.00.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of KMB opened at $125.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $42.31 billion, a PE ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.83. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.57. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 1-year low of $108.74 and a 1-year high of $144.53.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 25th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $4.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.99 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 9.59% and a return on equity of 264.67%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 5.92 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 9th. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $4.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is currently 82.52%.

Kimberly-Clark Company Profile

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Kimberly-Clark Corp. engages in the manufacture and marketing of products made from natural or synthetic fibers. It operates through the following segments: Personal Care, Consumer Tissue, and K-C Professional. The Personal Care segment offers disposable diapers, training and youth pants, swim pants, baby wipes, feminine and incontinence care products, and other related products.