Cetera Investment Advisers Acquires 75,582 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers increased its Kimberly-Clark stake by 29.7% in the first quarter, buying 75,582 additional shares for a total holding of 329,700 shares valued at approximately $31.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.29% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $117.93. Recent target changes range from $109 to $120, while four analysts rate the stock a Buy, eleven a Hold and one a Sell.
• Kimberly-Clark exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.97 EPS and $4.16 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 2.7% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $1.28, equivalent to a 4.7% annualized yield.

Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 29.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 329,700 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 75,582 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers owned approximately 0.10% of Kimberly-Clark worth $31,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in KMB. Ally Financial Inc. bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth about $1,009,000. Westpac Banking Corp grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 54,135 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,462,000 after purchasing an additional 10,811 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas now owns 61,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,234,000 after purchasing an additional 14,115 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,839,572 shares of the company's stock worth $790,934,000 after buying an additional 2,628,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,047,000. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on KMB. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group increased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $106.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $117.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $152,162.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at $797,233.08. This trade 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. Over 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 Price Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $109.70 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $104.38 and a 200 day moving average of $102.02. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a one year low of $92.42 and a one year 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. The stock has a market cap of $36.41 billion, a PE ratio of 17.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.26.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.93 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.47 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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