Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) Shares Gap Up to $128.93

Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $128.93, but opened at $138.96. Kimberly-Clark shares last traded at $136.02, with a volume of 1,734,416 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KMB shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $123.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $119.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $131.85.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 5.5 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $124.44 and a 200 day moving average of $122.43. The company has a market capitalization of $45.83 billion, a PE ratio of 26.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.94.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.99 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 260.47%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.54 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.18. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio is currently 93.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $450,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 17,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,084,709. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $450,120.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 17,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,084,709. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark T. Smucker purchased 827 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $120.98 per share, for a total transaction of $100,050.46. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,050.46. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kimberly-Clark

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 926.3% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 195 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 90.9% during the fourth quarter. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 210 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 175.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.