Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Stock Holdings Raised by KBC Group NV

Key Points

• KBC Group NV sharply increased its Kimberly-Clark stake by 459.9% in the first quarter, owning 1.7 million shares valued at about $163.6 million.
• Kimberly-Clark reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, with EPS of $1.97 versus $1.93 expected and revenue of $4.16 billion versus $4.09 billion expected, while revenue rose 2.7% year over year.
• The company continues to reward shareholders with a $1.28 quarterly dividend ($5.12 annualized), implying a 4.7% yield; meanwhile, analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average target price of $116.79.

KBC Group NV grew its stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 459.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,695,768 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,392,873 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.51% of Kimberly-Clark worth $163,591,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 26,997.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,368,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $743,399,000 after buying an additional 7,341,215 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth approximately $521,184,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,839,572 shares of the company's stock worth $790,934,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628,206 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 20,830,890 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,615,382,000 after purchasing an additional 997,397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth $92,314,000. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $401,310.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction of $152,162.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $797,233.08. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $108.35 on Monday. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a twelve month low of $92.42 and a twelve month high of $137.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. The stock has a market cap of $35.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.26. The company's 50-day moving average price is $103.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.74.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.93 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.47 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio is presently 80.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on KMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of 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 boosted their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $106.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.79.

About Kimberly-Clark

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KMB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.