Rathbones Group PLC Trims Stock Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Rathbones Group PLC decreased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 2.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,484 shares of the company’s stock after selling 525 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $3,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth $711,000. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 430,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,286,000 after buying an additional 6,794 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at about $437,420,000. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 919,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,749,000 after acquiring an additional 107,736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Associated Banc Corp increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 29.8% in the 4th quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 501,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,903,000 after acquiring an additional 114,967 shares in the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $143.52 on Monday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52-week low of $116.32 and a 52-week high of $149.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.59. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $142.18 and its 200 day moving average is $135.53. The company has a market cap of $48.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.38, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.39.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.10 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 223.55%. The business’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is currently 89.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KMB shares. Argus upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America raised Kimberly-Clark from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $115.00 to $160.00 in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.67.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Jeffrey P. Melucci sold 37,699 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.42, for a total transaction of $5,331,392.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,819,207.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Jeffrey P. Melucci sold 37,699 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.42, for a total value of $5,331,392.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 19,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,819,207.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Gonzalo Uribe sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $250,695.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,038,976.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Company Profile

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.