Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Kimberly-Clark has an average “Hold” rating among 17 analysts, with 11 holds, four buys, one strong buy and one sell. The average 12-month price target is approximately $117.93.
• Shares opened at $104.96, down 2.8%, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.80, below the $2.01 consensus estimate; revenue of $4.19 billion also slightly missed expectations.
• Kimberly-Clark announced a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, equivalent to $5.12 annually and a 4.9% yield. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the seventeen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have assigned a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $117.9286.

Several brokerages have recently commented on KMB. UBS Group increased their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays upped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. TD Cowen increased their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded Kimberly-Clark from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $104.96 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.72. The stock has a market cap of $34.91 billion, a PE ratio of 17.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.45. Kimberly-Clark has a 12 month low of $92.42 and a 12 month high of $131.53.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 143.92% and a net margin of 11.79%.Kimberly-Clark's quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 87.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 11,088.4% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 43,186,921 shares of the company's stock worth $4,740,628,000 after purchasing an additional 42,800,922 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter worth $3,547,915,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 26,997.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,368,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $743,399,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341,215 shares during the period. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter valued at $632,373,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at about $521,184,000. 76.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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