Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Raises Position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank boosted its stake in Kimberly‑Clark by 132.9% in Q4, purchasing 139,072 shares to hold 243,700 shares worth about $24.59 million (≈0.07% of the company).
• Kimberly‑Clark reported quarterly EPS of $1.86 (vs. $1.81 expected) on $4.08B revenue (slightly below estimates) and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.28, representing an annualized payout of $5.12 and a 5.3% yield.
• Consensus analyst coverage is a Hold (4 Buys, 11 Holds, 1 Sell) with an average target price of $114.86; the stock trades near $96.60 and the company has a ~$32.1B market cap.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Free Report) by 132.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 243,700 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 139,072 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.07% of Kimberly-Clark worth $24,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $851,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 7.3% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 363,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,923,000 after purchasing an additional 24,698 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 44.3% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 284,655 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,698,000 after purchasing an additional 87,455 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 11.0% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,291 shares of the company's stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 20.5% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:KMB opened at $96.60 on Wednesday. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 1 year low of $92.42 and a 1 year high of $144.30. The company has a market cap of $32.06 billion, a PE ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The stock's 50-day moving average is $101.83 and its 200 day moving average is $104.56.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 170.48% and a net margin of 11.73%.The company had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. Kimberly-Clark's revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $1.28 per share. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KMB. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped 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. Citigroup cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research lowered Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $114.86.

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.

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