Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) Hits New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Key Points

• Kimberly-Clark shares reached a new 12-month low at $120.81 during trading, closing at $121.40, reflecting a drop influenced by recent analyst downgrades.
• After missing revenue expectations for the last quarter, the company reported earnings per share of $1.92, which was higher than the consensus estimate of $1.67, but a **1.6% year-over-year decline** in revenue was noted.
• Kimberly-Clark announced a quarterly dividend of $1.26 per share, yielding 4.2%, with a payout ratio of 69.42%, indicating a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $120.81 and last traded at $121.40, with a volume of 234315 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $139.00 to $131.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Kimberly-Clark from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $125.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $149.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.50.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Down 1.4%

The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.63. The stock has a market cap of $40.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.30.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.25. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 201.43% and a net margin of 12.69%.The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th were paid a dividend of $1.26 per share. This represents a $5.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 5th. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is 69.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Pacific Financial acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 989.5% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets personal care and consumer tissue products in the United States. It operates through three segments: Personal Care, Consumer Tissue, and K-C Professional. The company's Personal Care segment offers disposable diapers, training and youth pants, swimpants, baby wipes, feminine and incontinence care products, reusable underwear, and other related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, GoodNites, DryNites, Sweety, Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus, Thinx, Poise, Depend, Plenitud, Softex, and other brand names.

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