Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Shares Acquired by Allstate Corp

Key Points

• Allstate Corp more than doubled its stake in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter, increasing holdings by 103.7% to 24,845 shares valued at about $2.51 million.
• Several analysts remain cautious on the stock: Kimberly-Clark’s current consensus rating is Hold, with a consensus price target of $114.93 after multiple firms trimmed or adjusted targets.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.97 and revenue of $4.16 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, implying a 5.1% yield.

Allstate Corp raised its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 103.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,845 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,650 shares during the period. Allstate Corp's holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $2,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KMB. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KMB has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $114.93.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction of $152,162.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $797,233.08. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $100.18 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52-week low of $92.42 and a 52-week high of $144.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $97.72 and a 200 day moving average of $101.36.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.93 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is currently 80.38%.

Kimberly-Clark Company 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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