Wells Fargo & Company Increases Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) Price Target to $131.00

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) had its price target upped by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $125.00 to $131.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 1.03% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $135.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI raised Kimberly-Clark from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $128.00 to $124.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, HSBC raised their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $134.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $131.93.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Kimberly-Clark stock traded up $2.39 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $129.66. The stock had a trading volume of 894,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,088,853. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.68 billion, a PE ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.40. Kimberly-Clark has a 12 month low of $116.32 and a 12 month high of $147.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $122.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.95.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 260.47% and a net margin of 8.63%. The company had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $450,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,084,709. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $450,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,084,709. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark T. Smucker acquired 827 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $120.98 per share, for a total transaction of $100,050.46. Following the purchase, the director now owns 827 shares in the company, valued at $100,050.46. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KMB. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 3,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Chapin Davis Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.9% in the second quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 2,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.8% in the second quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 4,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Arcus Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 3.8% during the third quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Company 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.