Prudential PLC Raises Stock Position in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Prudential PLC raised its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 99.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 99,984 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 49,874 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $10,087,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $851,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 363,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,923,000 after buying an additional 24,698 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 44.3% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 284,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,698,000 after buying an additional 87,455 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,372,000 after buying an additional 1,811 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on KMB shares. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $114.93.

Key Kimberly-Clark News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kimberly-Clark this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted Kimberly-Clark as an attractive staple stock, saying he likes it partly because of its pending merger with Kenvue, which may have helped boost investor interest in the name. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Kimberly-Clark’s recent conference presentation and its upcoming dividend schedule, which can attract income-oriented buyers and support the stock during periods of market volatility. Article
• Positive Sentiment: The broader move into consumer staples also appears to be helping, as investors rotate toward more defensive sectors amid sharp weakness in the overall market. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Kimberly-Clark’s recent conference appearance and prior earnings update reinforced steady fundamentals, but there was no single new operating headline driving the move. Article

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

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 value of $152,162.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at $797,233.08. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $99.04 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $32.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.55, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $97.47 and its 200 day moving average is $101.06. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 1 year low of $92.42 and a 1 year high of $137.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

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

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.2%. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is presently 80.38%.

Kimberly-Clark Profile

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.