Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) Upgraded to "Buy" at StockNews.com

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $133.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $128.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $131.86.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

KMB stock traded down $1.05 during trading on Thursday, reaching $126.11. 1,988,740 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,097,844. Kimberly-Clark has a twelve month low of $116.32 and a twelve month high of $147.87. The company has a market capitalization of $42.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $123.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.94.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.99 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 260.47% and a net margin of 8.63%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.54 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, Director Mark T. Smucker bought 827 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $120.98 per share, with a total value of $100,050.46. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 827 shares of the company's stock, valued at $100,050.46. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $450,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,084,709. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark T. Smucker purchased 827 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $120.98 per share, for a total transaction of $100,050.46. Following the transaction, 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. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.2% during the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 12,001 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 4.4% in the first quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 26,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,469,000 after purchasing an additional 1,142 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 0.9% in the first quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 64,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,417,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 14.1% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,318 shares of the company's stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.3% during the first quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 76,514 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,897,000 after buying an additional 1,704 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

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.