JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Stock Holdings in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,732,936 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 396,956 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $339,822,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 177.6% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter worth $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 105.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, December 1st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Argus upgraded Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $162.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.00.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

NASDAQ:KMB opened at $108.68 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. The company has a market capitalization of $36.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52 week low of $96.26 and a 52 week high of $150.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $101.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.37.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 170.48% and a net margin of 11.73%.The company had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. Kimberly-Clark’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 3,049 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.29, for a total transaction of $317,980.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

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.