Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Given New $110.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Kimberly-Clark to $110 from $100, while keeping an equal weight rating. The new target still implies a slight downside from the stock’s previous close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed overall: Kimberly-Clark has a Hold consensus rating, with 4 Buy, 11 Hold, and 1 Sell ratings, and a consensus price target of $116.14.
• The company recently posted better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $1.97 versus estimates of $1.93 and revenue of $4.16 billion versus $4.09 billion expected.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective suggests a potential downside of 4.13% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on KMB. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $116.14.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KMB opened at $114.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $38.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.01, a PEG ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark has a twelve month low of $92.42 and a twelve month high of $137.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $101.42 and a 200 day moving average of $101.26.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.93 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction of $152,162.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $797,233.08. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 business'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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687 in the last three months. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 3,533 shares of the company's stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 37,999 shares of the company's stock worth $3,834,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 15,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,523,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 18.3% in the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 665 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Core Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Core Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,352 shares of the company's stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

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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