Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Stock Price Target Raised at BNP Paribas Exane

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Exane raised its Kimberly-Clark price target from $110 to $112 but kept a neutral rating; the target implies roughly 0.03% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: MarketBeat reports a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $113.20.
• Kimberly-Clark’s latest quarterly EPS of $1.70 beat the $1.65 consensus estimate, while revenue of $4.13 billion was flat with estimates and down 1.2% year over year.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $110.00 to $112.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane's price objective suggests a potential downside of 0.03% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on KMB. Seaport Research Partners raised Kimberly-Clark to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, October 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $106.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $113.20.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of KMB stock traded up $3.60 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $112.03. 2,130,882 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,980,199. The firm has a market cap of $37.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.78 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. The company's 50 day moving average is $102.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.23. Kimberly-Clark has a 1 year low of $92.42 and a 1 year high of $116.82.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 114.93% and a net margin of 19.93%. The business had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.38 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter valued at about $223,668,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 595,464 shares of the company's stock worth $65,364,000 after acquiring an additional 20,300 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,869,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,881,641 shares of the company's stock worth $755,398,000 after purchasing an additional 219,742 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 612.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 205,588 shares of the company's stock worth $19,833,000 after purchasing an additional 176,733 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Kimberly-Clark

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