Lbp Am Sa Increases Holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• LBP AM SA increased its stake in Kimberly‑Clark by 7.9% in Q4, buying 10,801 shares to hold 148,287 shares valued at about $14.96 million; overall institutional investors own roughly 76.3% of the stock.
• Kimberly‑Clark beat EPS estimates ($1.86 vs. $1.81) but slightly missed revenue expectations, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.28 (a 5.2% yield) though its dividend payout ratio is high at 84.35%.
• Wall Street sentiment is largely cautious with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $114.86 after several recent target cuts.

Lbp Am Sa boosted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 148,287 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,801 shares during the period. Lbp Am Sa's holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $14,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 177.6% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 211 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $97.97 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52-week low of $92.42 and a 52-week high of $144.30. The firm has a market cap of $32.52 billion, a PE ratio of 16.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.28. The company's 50 day moving average is $102.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.34.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $1.28 per share. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.35%.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total value of $317,980.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research lowered Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $114.86.

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.

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.