Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Shares Acquired by Welch Group LLC

Key Points

• Welch Group LLC increased its Kimberly-Clark stake by 2.3% in the third quarter, adding 10,565 shares to hold 472,336 shares valued at approximately $46.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.29% of the company.
• Kimberly-Clark reported quarterly earnings of $1.80 per share, below the $2.01 consensus estimate, while revenue of $4.19 billion slightly missed expectations but rose 0.6% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with the stock carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $111.56; KMB recently opened at $107.94.

Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 472,336 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,565 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC owned about 0.14% of Kimberly-Clark worth $46,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth about $223,668,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 595,464 shares of the company's stock worth $65,364,000 after purchasing an additional 20,300 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,869,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 3.3% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,881,641 shares of the company's stock worth $755,398,000 after buying an additional 219,742 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 612.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 205,588 shares of the company's stock worth $19,833,000 after acquiring an additional 176,733 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KMB opened at $107.94 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $102.82 and its 200-day moving average is $103.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.91. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52-week low of $92.42 and a 52-week high of $120.09. The company has a market cap of $35.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.36, a PEG ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.25.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.79% and a return on equity of 143.92%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.92 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 9th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $101.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $106.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.56.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corporation NASDAQ: KMB is a global consumer products company that develops and markets personal care, tissue and professional hygiene products. Its portfolio includes products for babies and children, feminine care, adult care, family care and workplace hygiene.

The company's well-known brands include Huggies diapers and wipes, Kleenex facial tissue, Cottonelle bathroom tissue, Scott toilet paper and paper towels, Kotex feminine care products, and Depend, Poise and GoodNites products.

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