Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $94.37 and last traded at $94.5080, with a volume of 1383730 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $96.99.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KMB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays set a $102.00 price target on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, March 27th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $115.85.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Down 4.2%

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 firm has a market capitalization of $30.86 billion, a PE ratio of 15.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.59.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.35%.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were 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 available through the SEC website. 0.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 67,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,815,000 after buying an additional 12,921 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 132.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 9,695 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares during the last quarter. Union Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $295,000. Finally, Mengis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,295,000 after purchasing an additional 4,019 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.