Morningstar Investment Management LLC Cuts Position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Morningstar Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 88.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,630 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,717 shares during the quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of KMB opened at $99.14 on Tuesday. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52-week low of $92.42 and a 52-week high of $144.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $97.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.37. The stock has a market cap of $32.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.29.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.93 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is 80.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KMB. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $133.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $114.93.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $401,310.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total value of $152,162.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $797,233.08. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Profile

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.