Fisher Asset Management LLC Lowers Stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Fisher Asset Management cut its Kimberly-Clark stake by 26.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 11,699 shares and ending with 32,773 shares valued at about $3.31 million.
• Kimberly-Clark reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.97 versus $1.93 expected and revenue of $4.16 billion versus $4.09 billion forecast. Revenue rose 2.7% from a year earlier.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, payable July 2, which works out to an annualized yield of 5.1%. Meanwhile, analysts’ overall view remains cautious, with an average rating of Hold and a price target of $114.93.

Fisher Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 26.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,773 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,699 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC's holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $3,306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Down 0.0%

NASDAQ:KMB opened at $100.14 on Friday. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $92.42 and a one year high of $144.30. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $97.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.33. The stock has a market cap of $33.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.29.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.93 earnings per share. The company'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 7.48 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is 80.38%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $401,310.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $797,233.08. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687. Insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on KMB. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $133.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Zacks Research downgraded Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $114.93.

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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