Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Given New $114.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Key Points

• Piper Sandler cut its price target for Kimberly‑Clark to $114 (from $133) but kept an overweight rating, implying roughly a 14.9% upside from the prior close.
• The Street consensus is a Hold with an average target of $116.42, based on 3 Buys, 10 Holds and 1 Sell.
• Kimberly‑Clark beat on Q EPS ($1.86 vs. $1.81) while revenue was slightly below estimates; the stock traded around $99.24, with a market cap of $32.94B and a P/E of about 16.4.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by analysts at Piper Sandler from $133.00 to $114.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler's target price indicates a potential upside of 14.88% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on KMB. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Argus upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. BNP Paribas Exane restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Monday, December 1st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 price target on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.42.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:KMB traded up $1.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $99.24. 1,392,120 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,937,856. The stock has a market cap of $32.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.24. Kimberly-Clark has a fifty-two week low of $96.26 and a fifty-two week high of $147.12. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $103.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In related 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 SEC, which is available at this link. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 26,997.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,368,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $743,399,000 after acquiring an additional 7,341,215 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 40,435,476 shares of the company's stock worth $5,212,942,000 after purchasing an additional 5,200,011 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at $521,184,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,839,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $790,934,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 350.2% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,583,193 shares of the company's stock worth $204,105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,231,501 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company's stock.

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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