Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $150.45 and last traded at $148.31, with a volume of 998366 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KMB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. 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. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.64.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $47.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a 50-day moving average of $132.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.48.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last issued its 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 return on equity of 201.43% and a net margin of 12.69%. Sell-side analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.26 per share. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is 66.75%.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 10,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.00, for a total value of $1,528,158.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,088,520. This trade represents a 58.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Company 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.