Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Raises Position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its Kimberly-Clark stake by 9.9% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 225,924 shares worth about $21.8 million. The filing also noted that institutional investors own 76.29% of the stock.
• Kimberly-Clark reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.97 versus the $1.93 consensus and revenue of $4.16 billion, up 2.7% year over year. Analysts now expect the company to earn 7.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, or $5.12 annualized, for a yield of 4.7%. The payout ratio is currently 80.38%, and analysts’ consensus rating remains Hold with an average price target of $116.79.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 9.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 225,924 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 20,413 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd owned about 0.07% of Kimberly-Clark worth $21,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 26,997.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,368,407 shares of the company's stock worth $743,399,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341,215 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $521,184,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,839,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $790,934,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628,206 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 5.0% during the third 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 bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $92,314,000. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ KMB opened at $108.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.01, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a one year low of $92.42 and a one year high of $137.46. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $103.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $101.74. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.93 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is currently 80.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group increased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $106.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Four research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.79.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $401,310.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $797,233.08. This trade represents 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

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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