Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Raises Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 17.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,435 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 955 shares during the period. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $843,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

NYSE:KMB opened at $139.75 on Thursday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52 week low of $123.02 and a 52 week high of $150.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $134.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.37.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.26 dividend. This represents a $5.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. 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 presently 66.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 10,838 shares of Kimberly-Clark 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,720 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,088,520. The trade was a 58.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KMB. TD Cowen lowered Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup cut their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $124.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $158.00 price target (down from $161.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark currently 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.