Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Director Todd Maclin Buys 266 Shares

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Director Todd Maclin acquired 266 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $145.77 per share, with a total value of $38,774.82. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,848. This trade represents a 12.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of KMB traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $104.33. 5,232,568 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,926,694. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52 week low of $96.26 and a 52 week high of $150.45. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $101.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.59. The firm has a market cap of $34.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.26.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 170.48% and a net margin of 11.73%.The company’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $1.28 per share. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.03%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 186.9% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 43,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,408,000 after purchasing an additional 28,335 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 2.5% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,439,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,448,000 after buying an additional 58,978 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 591,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,234,000 after acquiring an additional 19,298 shares during the period. Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 38,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,932,000 after purchasing an additional 19,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 5,751.6% in the second quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 94,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,146,000 after buying an additional 92,601 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $120.00 target price (down previously from $150.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $118.58.

Kimberly-Clark Company 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.