AXQ Capital LP Takes $1.27 Million Position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• AXQ Capital LP opened a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter, buying 12,614 shares worth about $1.27 million.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with hedge funds and other investors holding about 76.29% of the stock, even as several firms adjusted their stakes.
• Kimberly-Clark reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue, and it also announced a $1.28 quarterly dividend that implies an annual yield of about 5.2%.

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,273,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.7% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 399,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,690,000 after buying an additional 14,386 shares during the last quarter. Jain Global LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the third quarter worth about $11,973,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,774,290 shares of the company's stock worth $281,258,000 after buying an additional 334,598 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 37.9% during the third quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 93,076 shares of the company's stock worth $11,573,000 after buying an additional 25,576 shares during the period. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 71.9% during the third quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 31,733 shares of the company's stock worth $3,946,000 after buying an additional 13,268 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KMB shares. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $133.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $114.93.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $401,310.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total value of $152,162.64. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $797,233.08. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687 in the last 90 days. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KMB opened at $97.95 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.38, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.28. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a one year low of $92.42 and a one year high of $143.60. The company's fifty day moving average is $97.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 152.79% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.93 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is 80.38%.

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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