Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys 25,576 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group boosted its stake in Kimberly‑Clark by 37.9%, buying 25,576 shares to hold 93,076 shares worth about $11.57 million at the end of the quarter.
• Dividend raised to $1.28 quarterly (annualized $5.12) for a ~4.9% yield, with an ex‑dividend date of March 6 and payment on April 2.
• Kimberly‑Clark beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.86 vs. $1.81) while revenue slightly missed; analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with a $119 average target and mixed individual ratings.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 37.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 93,076 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,576 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $11,573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 186.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 43,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,408,000 after purchasing an additional 28,335 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,439,692 shares of the company's stock worth $301,448,000 after buying an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.4% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 591,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,234,000 after buying an additional 19,298 shares during the period. Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 100.0% during the third quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 38,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,932,000 after buying an additional 19,130 shares during the period. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5,751.6% during the second quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 94,211 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,146,000 after acquiring an additional 92,601 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total transaction of $317,980.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.64% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays set a $102.00 price target on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $119.00.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of KMB stock opened at $104.58 on Monday. The business's fifty day moving average is $103.41 and its 200 day moving average is $111.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. The stock has a market cap of $34.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.24. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a twelve month low of $96.26 and a twelve month high of $150.45.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 170.48% and a net margin of 11.73%.The business had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $1.28 per share. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio is 84.35%.

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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