Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Shares Purchased by Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC

Key Points

• Big institutional moves: Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. raised its KMB stake 71.9% in Q3 to 31,733 shares (added 13,268) worth about $3.95M, while institutions own 76.29% of the stock and Barclays increased its holding to 1,293,919 shares (~$160.9M).
• Dividend increase: Kimberly‑Clark raised its quarterly dividend to $1.28 (from $1.26), an annualized $5.12 payout with a ~5.0% yield and an ex‑dividend date of March 6.
• Quarterly results: KMB reported EPS of $1.86 versus $1.81 expected (beat) and revenue of $4.08B versus $4.11B expected (slight miss), with analysts maintaining a consensus "Hold" and a $119 target.

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 71.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,733 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,268 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC's holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $3,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KMB. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the third quarter valued at approximately $14,921,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1,164.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 430 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Sunpointe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 3rd quarter worth about $242,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 2.9% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 18,523 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,303,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 39.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,293,919 shares of the company's stock worth $160,886,000 after buying an additional 365,586 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total value of $317,980.21. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $102.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $34.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $103.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12-month low of $96.26 and a 12-month high of $150.45.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on KMB. BNP Paribas Exane restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, December 1st. Zacks Research cut Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 target price on Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Barclays set a $102.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, January 16th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $119.00.

Kimberly-Clark 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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