Nixon Peabody Trust Co. Trims Stock Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. cut its stake in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,762 shares of the company’s stock after selling 438 shares during the period. Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $886,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KMB. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 76.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $142.00 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $131.31 and a 200-day moving average of $136.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.41. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52-week low of $121.00 and a 52-week high of $149.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.26 per share. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. This represents a $5.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $350,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $357,420. This trade represents a 49.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on KMB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $124.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.64.

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.