Welch Group LLC Grows Stock Position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Welch Group LLC boosted its Kimberly-Clark stake by 37.8% in the first quarter, buying 122,577 additional shares and lifting its position to 447,054 shares worth about $43.1 million.
• Kimberly-Clark reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.97 versus estimates of $1.93 and revenue of $4.16 billion versus $4.09 billion expected.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 4.7%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold” with a target price of $115.43.

Welch Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 37.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 447,054 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 122,577 shares during the quarter. Welch Group LLC owned 0.13% of Kimberly-Clark worth $43,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 7,341,215 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $521,184,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.0% in 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 period. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at about $92,314,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America decreased their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Zacks Research cut Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective 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 assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $115.43.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $109.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.17, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.28. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52 week low of $92.42 and a 52 week high of $137.46. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $99.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.93 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $401,310.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total value of $152,162.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $797,233.08. The trade was 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kimberly-Clark 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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