Westpac Banking Corp Takes Position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Westpac Banking Corp acquired 16,532 Kimberly-Clark shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $1.815 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.29% of the company.
• Kimberly-Clark shares recently traded at $109.31, up 0.6%. The company missed quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $1.80 in EPS versus the $2.01 consensus, while revenue rose 0.6% year over year to $4.19 billion.
• Kimberly-Clark declared a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, equivalent to $5.12 annually and a 4.7% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $117.93.

Westpac Banking Corp bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 16,532 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,815,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 40,846,734 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,121,027,000 after purchasing an additional 315,981 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,547,915,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,125,118 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,157,746,000 after buying an additional 294,228 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,917,154 shares of the company's stock worth $1,202,322,000 after acquiring an additional 299,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,322,198 shares of the company's stock valued at $836,216,000 after purchasing an additional 65,619 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:KMB opened at $109.31 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12-month low of $92.42 and a 12-month high of $134.38. The stock has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.59, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50 day moving average of $108.89 and a 200-day moving average of $103.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.45.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.21). The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 143.92% and a net margin of 11.79%.Kimberly-Clark's revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.92 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a dividend of $1.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 87.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KMB shares. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Kimberly-Clark to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $117.93.

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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