Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

KMB has been the subject of a number of other reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and issued a $120.00 target price (down from $150.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $118.58.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 2.4%

NASDAQ:KMB opened at $103.21 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.82. Kimberly-Clark has a 52-week low of $96.26 and a 52-week high of $150.45. The company has a market cap of $34.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.00, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.75.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Biltmore Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 3,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 37,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,834,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 81.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,049 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 121.6% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,828 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 20,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,067,000 after purchasing an additional 4,027 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

About Kimberly-Clark

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.