Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Acquires 17,900 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in Kimberly‑Clark by 21.9%, purchasing 17,900 shares and bringing its holding to 99,516 shares worth about $10.04 million after the 4th quarter.
• Several large institutions also boosted positions—Massachusetts Financial Services (+50.4% to 7.84M shares), State Street (20.83M shares), and M&T Bank (+506.1%)—leaving institutional investors with 76.29% ownership.
• Kimberly‑Clark beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.97 vs. $1.93) on $4.16B in revenue (+2.7% YoY); analysts’ consensus is a "Hold" with a $114.93 target, while insiders sold roughly 6,050 shares (~$606k) in the last quarter.

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 21.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 99,516 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,900 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $10,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KMB. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $790,934,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628,206 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased 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. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 331.6% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,107,640 shares of the company's stock valued at $137,724,000 after purchasing an additional 851,024 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,406,849 shares of the company's stock valued at $299,268,000 after acquiring an additional 823,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 506.1% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 758,154 shares of the company's stock worth $76,490,000 after acquiring an additional 633,061 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the company's 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 the SEC website. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the company'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 owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at $797,233.08. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 6,050 shares of company stock worth $606,358 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on KMB shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 10th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $114.93.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 1.6%

NASDAQ KMB opened at $97.20 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $100.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $103.30. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12 month low of $92.42 and a 12 month high of $144.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 152.79% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.93 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

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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