Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus "Hold": Fourteen analysts rate Kimberly‑Clark a consensus "Hold" (1 sell, 10 hold, 3 buy) with an average 12‑month target of about $116.42.
• Dividend hiked: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.28 ($5.12 annualized), a 5.2% yield with an ex‑dividend/record timing in early March, though the payout ratio is high at ~84.4%.
• Recent quarter: Kimberly‑Clark beat EPS estimates ($1.86 vs. $1.81) but slightly missed revenue, and shares trade near $99 with a P/E of ~16.3 and a high debt‑to‑equity ratio (~3.97).

Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $116.4167.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KMB shares. UBS Group increased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research cut Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays set a $102.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $133.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction dated 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kimberly-Clark

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 11,876 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,372 shares of the company's stock worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,585 shares of the company's stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,676 shares of the company's stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 9.4% in the second quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd now owns 1,075 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ KMB opened at $98.84 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark has a fifty-two week low of $96.26 and a fifty-two week high of $147.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.24. 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 company's 50 day simple moving average is $103.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.11.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share 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 prior year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 84.35%.

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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