Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Shares Sold by Morningstar Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Morningstar Investment Management LLC sharply cut its Kimberly-Clark stake by 88.2% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 2,630 shares worth about $265,000.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly cautious: Kimberly-Clark now has a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $114.93, with several firms recently trimming targets or downgrading the stock.
• 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 payable July 2, implying a 5.2% annualized yield.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 88.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,630 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,717 shares during the quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on KMB shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research cut Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays lowered their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $114.93.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $401,310.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 8,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $797,233.08. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of KMB opened at $99.14 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $97.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.37. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a one year low of $92.42 and a one year high of $144.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $32.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.29.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 152.79% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.93 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

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