Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Kimberly-Clark has a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" from 16 brokerages, with 11 holds, 4 buys, and 1 sell. The average 12-month price target is about $114.93.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, earning $1.97 per share on revenue of $4.16 billion, both ahead of estimates. Revenue rose 2.7% year over year.
• Kimberly-Clark also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 5.1%. Insider selling has been notable, including recent sales by VP Andrew Scribner and insider Katy Chen.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the sixteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $114.9286.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Kimberly-Clark

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Summitry LLC boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 8.9% during the first quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 55,177 shares of the company's stock worth $5,323,000 after buying an additional 4,503 shares in the last quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the first quarter valued at about $269,000. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the first quarter valued at about $318,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the first quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, FinArc Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the first quarter valued at about $297,000. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Down 0.0%

NASDAQ KMB opened at $100.14 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $97.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.33. Kimberly-Clark has a 12 month low of $92.42 and a 12 month high of $144.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.29.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 152.79% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.93 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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