Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Cut to "Hold" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" to a "hold," and MarketBeat reports the stock's consensus is currently "Hold" (3 Buy, 10 Hold, 1 Sell) with an average price target of $119.00.
• Kimberly-Clark beat quarterly EPS expectations ($1.86 vs. $1.81) but slightly missed revenue ($4.08B vs. $4.11B), with revenue down 0.6% year-over-year and analysts forecasting about 7.5 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Insider activity included VP Andrew Scribner selling 3,049 shares at an average $104.29; insiders own just 0.64% of the company while institutional investors hold about 76.29%.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Argus upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays set a $102.00 price target on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $119.00.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of KMB opened at $104.73 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.75. Kimberly-Clark has a 52-week low of $96.26 and a 52-week high of $150.45. The firm has a market cap of $34.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.24. The business's fifty day moving average is $103.26 and its 200-day moving average is $111.61.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 170.48% and a net margin of 11.73%.The business had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. Kimberly-Clark's revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total transaction of $317,980.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 74.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $851,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter valued at $60,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 6.2% during the second quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 35,151 shares of the company's stock worth $4,532,000 after purchasing an additional 2,039 shares during the last quarter. Ellevest Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 7.6% in the second quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 1,894 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 9,986 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,287,000 after purchasing an additional 955 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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