Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Insider Katy Chen Sells 1,596 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Katy Chen, a Kimberly‑Clark insider, sold 1,596 shares on May 4 at an average price of $95.34 for about $152,163, reducing her holding to 8,362 shares (a 16.03% decrease); the sale was made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards.
• Kimberly‑Clark beat expectations for the quarter with $1.97 EPS vs. $1.93 and revenue of $4.16 billion (up 2.7% year‑over‑year), posting a 12.8% net margin and very high return on equity.
• Analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating (four Buys, eleven Holds, one Sell) with a consensus price target of $114.93, while the stock trades near $95.65.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total value of $152,162.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at $797,233.08. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Katy Chen also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, April 30th, Katy Chen sold 1,405 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $136,214.75.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KMB traded down $2.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $95.65. The company had a trading volume of 4,363,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,555,544. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $100.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.46. The stock has a market cap of $31.75 billion, a PE ratio of 15.02, a P/E/G ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 1-year low of $92.42 and a 1-year high of $144.30.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 152.79% and a net margin of 12.80%.Kimberly-Clark's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.93 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KMB. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 26,997.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,368,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $743,399,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341,215 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in 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. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 20,830,890 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,615,382,000 after purchasing an additional 997,397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at $92,314,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KMB shares. Zacks Research lowered Kimberly-Clark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $114.93.

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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