Candriam S.C.A. Sells 71,905 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. cut its Kimberly-Clark stake by 34.1% in the first quarter, selling 71,905 shares and leaving it with 139,198 shares valued at about $13.4 million.
• Kimberly-Clark reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.97 versus estimates of $1.93 and revenue of $4.16 billion versus expectations of $4.09 billion.
• The company also maintained its dividend, paying $1.28 per share quarterly for a 4.6% annualized yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $116.14.

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 34.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,198 shares of the company's stock after selling 71,905 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $13,428,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 3,533 shares of the company's stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 37,999 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,834,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 15,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,523,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 18.3% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 665 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Core Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Core Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,352 shares of the company's stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $112.41 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $102.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $101.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52-week low of $92.42 and a 52-week high of $137.46. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.93 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KMB. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. UBS Group upped their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $401,310.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total value of $152,162.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $797,233.08. This represents 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KMB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.