BNP Paribas Purchases 23,080 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• BNP Paribas sharply increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark, buying 23,080 additional shares in the fourth quarter and lifting its holdings by 3,228% to 23,795 shares valued at about $2.4 million.
• Kimberly-Clark beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $1.97 versus the $1.93 estimate and revenue of $4.16 billion versus $4.09 billion expected, with sales up 2.7% year over year.
• The company continues to offer a sizable dividend, declaring a quarterly payout of $1.28 per share, or $5.12 annually, for a yield of about 5.3%.

BNP Paribas raised its position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 3,228.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,795 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,080 shares during the period. BNP Paribas' holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $2,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KMB. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the company's stock worth $851,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 363,919 shares of the company's stock worth $46,923,000 after purchasing an additional 24,698 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 44.3% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 284,655 shares of the company's stock worth $36,698,000 after purchasing an additional 87,455 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,291 shares of the company's stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,639 shares of the company's stock worth $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KMB shares. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $114.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687 in the last three months. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

KMB stock opened at $97.49 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $97.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.26. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12-month low of $92.42 and a 12-month high of $141.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.93 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is presently 80.38%.

Kimberly-Clark Profile

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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