Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Shares Sold by Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 0.4% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 25,674 shares of the company’s stock after selling 104 shares during the quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $3,548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 4.0% in the second quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 35,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,380 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at about $49,000. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 7.5% during the second quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.7% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 35,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,967,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the period. Finally, First Personal Financial Services raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 3.5% in the second quarter. First Personal Financial Services now owns 42,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,436 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

NYSE:KMB traded up $1.44 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $144.66. 2,421,722 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,142,577. The company has a 50-day moving average of $140.70 and a 200 day moving average of $133.51. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 1-year low of $116.32 and a 1-year high of $145.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.37.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.10 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 223.55%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.65 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.21 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is currently 89.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on KMB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $123.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays decreased their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 19th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $146.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $167.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Gonzalo Uribe sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $250,695.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,377 shares in the company, valued at $1,038,976.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Jeffrey P. Melucci sold 37,699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.42, for a total transaction of $5,331,392.58. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,819,207.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Gonzalo Uribe sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $250,695.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,038,976.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.