Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Stock Position Raised by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 3.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 171,142 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,034 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $24,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KMB. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 808.0% during the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total value of $417,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $702,417.53. This trade represents a 37.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

NYSE KMB opened at $139.14 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $46.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $138.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.19. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a fifty-two week low of $117.67 and a fifty-two week high of $149.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.14. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 198.59% and a net margin of 12.97%. The firm had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com lowered Kimberly-Clark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Barclays upped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $153.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $149.93.

Kimberly-Clark 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.