Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Trading Up 4.7% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Kimberly-Clark shares rose 4.7% on Friday, trading as high as $98.66 after closing at $94.47 the prior day. Trading volume was about 3.73 million shares, below the stock’s recent average.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the company holding a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.93. Recent moves included a downgrade from Zacks Research, while UBS slightly raised its target and Bank of America cut its target but kept a buy rating.
• The company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $1.97 EPS on $4.16 billion in revenue, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share. That dividend implies a 5.2% annual yield and will be paid on July 2.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 4.7% on Friday . The company traded as high as $98.66 and last traded at $98.9490. Approximately 3,734,679 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 5,327,527 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.47.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $114.93.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 4.9%

The stock has a market cap of $32.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company's 50-day moving average price is $97.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.08.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.93 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $1.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.2%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio is presently 80.38%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $401,310.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction of $152,162.64. Following the sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 valued at $689,687 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KMB. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.