Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Shares Purchased by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management boosted its Kimberly-Clark stake by 122.3% in the fourth quarter, ending with 922,106 shares valued at about $93 million.
• Kimberly-Clark recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.97 versus $1.93 expected and revenue of $4.16 billion, up 2.7% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, implying an annualized dividend of $5.12 and a yield of about 5.2%.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 122.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 922,106 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 507,339 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.28% of Kimberly-Clark worth $93,022,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KMB. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

KMB stock opened at $99.04 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $97.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.04. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12 month low of $92.42 and a 12 month high of $137.46. The company has a market cap of $32.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.93 EPS. Kimberly-Clark's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.38%.

Kimberly-Clark News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kimberly-Clark this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted Kimberly-Clark as an attractive staple stock, saying he likes it partly because of its pending merger with Kenvue, which may have helped boost investor interest in the name. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Kimberly-Clark’s recent conference presentation and its upcoming dividend schedule, which can attract income-oriented buyers and support the stock during periods of market volatility. Article
• Positive Sentiment: The broader move into consumer staples also appears to be helping, as investors rotate toward more defensive sectors amid sharp weakness in the overall market. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Kimberly-Clark’s recent conference appearance and prior earnings update reinforced steady fundamentals, but there was no single new operating headline driving the move. Article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on KMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. Bank of America dropped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $114.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total value of $152,162.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,362 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were 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 sold a total of 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687 over the last three months. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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