Ally Financial Inc. Makes New Investment in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Ally Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,009,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their target price 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $114.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction 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 represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $401,310.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687 in the last ninety days. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KMB opened at $102.29 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $33.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.06, a PEG ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.28. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $92.42 and a fifty-two week high of $137.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $97.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.96.

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

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $1.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.38%.

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.