Aberdeen Group plc Decreases Holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 240,572 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,583 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.07% of Kimberly-Clark worth $29,913,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $851,000 after buying an additional 2,765 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 55.8% during the 2nd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218 shares during the last quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter worth $1,293,000. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 85,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,078,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

NASDAQ KMB opened at $109.41 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $101.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.59. The stock has a market cap of $36.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52 week low of $96.26 and a 52 week high of $150.45.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on KMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Barclays set a $102.00 price objective on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $127.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. BNP Paribas Exane reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $118.58.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total value of $317,980.21. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.