Andrew Scribner Sells 3,049 Shares of Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Stock

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total value of $317,980.21. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

KMB traded up $1.05 on Thursday, reaching $104.26. 7,456,724 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,997,204. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $101.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.60 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $96.26 and a fifty-two week high of $150.45.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 170.48% and a net margin of 11.73%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 0.6% in the second quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 11,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.9% in the second quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. TFB Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 4.2% during the second quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 2,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 3.5% during the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KMB. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $162.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $127.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $118.58.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a U.S.-based multinational manufacturer of personal care and consumer tissue products. The company develops, produces and markets a range of consumer brands and professional products, including facial and bathroom tissues, disposable diapers and training pants, feminine care, incontinence products and workplace hygiene solutions. Known for consumer-facing names such as Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex, Cottonelle and Scott, as well as professional offerings under Kimberly-Clark Professional and KleenGuard, the company supplies goods to retail, healthcare and institutional customers.

Founded in 1872 in Neenah, Wisconsin, Kimberly-Clark has expanded from its 19th-century paper-making roots into a global household and workplace products company.