Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Shares Bought by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,373,295 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 123,369 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $170,756,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 989.5% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 177.6% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on KMB. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $127.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $118.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total transaction of $317,980.21. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

NASDAQ KMB opened at $104.33 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 1-year low of $96.26 and a 1-year high of $150.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.26. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $101.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.39.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 170.48%. 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 company earned $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.35%.

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.