Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Shares Acquired by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,761 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,498 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $3,980,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 90.9% during the 4th quarter. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 210 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 175.0% in the third quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

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

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of KMB opened at $126.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.94. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a twelve month low of $116.32 and a twelve month high of $147.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $124.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.35.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $119.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $134.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $123.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark presently 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.