Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) Upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to "Neutral" Rating

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Kimberly-Clark's stock rating from "underweight" to "neutral," with a target price of $138.00, indicating a potential upside of 5.63% from its current price.
• Other analysts have made mixed adjustments, with Royal Bank Of Canada lowering its price target to $162.00 while maintaining an "outperform" rating.
• Kimberly-Clark reported an EPS of $1.92 for the last quarter, exceeding consensus estimates, although its quarterly revenue declined by 1.6% year-over-year.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $138.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would suggest a potential upside of 5.63% from the stock's current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Kimberly-Clark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $168.00 to $155.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group dropped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $134.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.20.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $130.64 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $43.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.33. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $131.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.68. Kimberly-Clark has a 1-year low of $124.10 and a 1-year high of $150.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.25. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 201.43%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. Analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 10,975.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,902,050 shares of the company's stock worth $270,510,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884,877 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 2,982.8% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,384,318 shares of the company's stock worth $196,878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,339,413 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 163.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,142,749 shares of the company's stock worth $280,786,000 after acquiring an additional 1,328,341 shares during the last quarter. Trinity Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the first quarter worth approximately $181,762,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,653,751 shares of the company's stock worth $740,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,015,141 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Company Profile

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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