Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Shares Sold by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. reduced its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,510 shares of the company’s stock after selling 348 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $926,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 808.0% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total value of $417,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $702,417.53. This trade represents a 37.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of KMB stock opened at $139.37 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52 week low of $117.67 and a 52 week high of $149.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $138.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.40.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 198.59% and a net margin of 12.97%. Kimberly-Clark’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KMB. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $153.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $149.93.

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.