Candriam S.C.A. Sells 71,905 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 34.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 139,198 shares of the company’s stock after selling 71,905 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $13,428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 40,846,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,121,027,000 after buying an additional 315,981 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,125,118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,157,746,000 after acquiring an additional 294,228 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,917,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,202,322,000 after acquiring an additional 299,382 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,322,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $836,216,000 after acquiring an additional 65,619 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,839,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $790,934,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628,206 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KMB opened at $112.41 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $102.23 and a 200 day moving average of $101.48. The company has a market cap of $37.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 12-month low of $92.42 and a 12-month high of $137.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.93 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.34, for a total transaction of $152,162.64. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at $797,233.08. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 business’s stock in a transaction on 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. Insiders have sold a total of 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.14.

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.