Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. Takes $55.95 Million Position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Menora Mivtachim initiated a new stake in Kimberly‑Clark, purchasing 450,000 shares worth about $55.95 million, representing roughly 0.14% of the company.
• Kimberly‑Clark raised its quarterly dividend to $1.28 (annualized $5.12), implying a yield of about 5.2% with an ex‑dividend date of March 6.
• The company beat Q4 EPS estimates ($1.86 vs. $1.81) but slightly missed revenue, and Wall Street’s consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $119 versus recent trading near $98.

Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 450,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,953,000. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. owned about 0.14% of Kimberly-Clark as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KMB. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 177.6% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 211 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 105.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 247 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMB has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays set a $102.00 price objective on Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 target price on Kimberly-Clark in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group increased their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $119.00.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of KMB opened at $97.82 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.12, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 1-year low of $96.26 and a 1-year high of $147.12. The company has a 50-day moving average of $103.37 and a 200 day moving average of $110.47.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.08 billion for 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 revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is currently 84.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total transaction of $317,980.21. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.64% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.