Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 15.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 92,283 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,259 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $12,093,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KMB opened at $144.02 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05. The company has a market capitalization of $47.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.36. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a twelve month low of $123.02 and a twelve month high of $150.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.48.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 201.43%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $124.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $158.00 price target (down from $161.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $350,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $357,420. This trade represents a 49.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kimberly-Clark 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.