Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Buys New Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of KMB. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the first quarter worth $96,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 22.2% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 190,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,483,000 after purchasing an additional 34,646 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 292,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,066,000 after purchasing an additional 7,878 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 23.9% during the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 4,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 28.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 20,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,485,000 after buying an additional 4,503 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $126.83 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.40. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 12-month low of $116.32 and a 12-month high of $147.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.94. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.36.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.99 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 260.47% and a net margin of 8.63%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.54 EPS. Research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $1.22 dividend. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.18. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is presently 93.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $450,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 17,229 shares in the company, valued at $2,084,709. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Mark T. Smucker acquired 827 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $120.98 per share, with a total value of $100,050.46. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 827 shares in the company, valued at $100,050.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $450,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 17,229 shares in the company, valued at $2,084,709. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on KMB shares. Evercore ISI upgraded Kimberly-Clark from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $133.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $123.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $131.85.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets personal care and consumer tissue products in the United States. It operates through three segments: Personal Care, Consumer Tissue, and K-C Professional. The company's Personal Care segment offers disposable diapers, training and youth pants, swimpants, baby wipes, feminine and incontinence care products, reusable underwear, and other related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, GoodNites, DryNites, Sweety, Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus, Thinx, Poise, Depend, Plenitud, Softex, and other brand names.