Wills Financial Group LLC Purchases Shares of 48,176 Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Wills Financial Group LLC opened a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter, buying 48,176 shares worth about $4.86 million. The stake represents 1.9% of the firm’s portfolio and is its 19th-largest holding.
• Kimberly-Clark reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.97 versus the $1.93 consensus and revenue of $4.16 billion versus $4.09 billion expected. The company also raised its profile with a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, equal to a 5.1% annualized yield.
• Analysts remain cautious overall, with the stock carrying a “Hold” consensus rating and an average target price of $114.93. Meanwhile, insiders have sold shares recently, including transactions by Katy Chen and Andrew Scribner.

Wills Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 48,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,860,000. Kimberly-Clark accounts for 1.9% of Wills Financial Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction of $152,162.64. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at $797,233.08. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $401,310.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687 in the last 90 days. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KMB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group upped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research downgraded Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $114.93.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 2.8%

NASDAQ:KMB opened at $100.52 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.77. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a one year low of $92.42 and a one year high of $137.46. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $97.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.99. The stock has a market cap of $33.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.28.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 152.79% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.93 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is 80.38%.

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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