N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC Sells 349 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,314 shares of the company’s stock after selling 349 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $403,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 90.9% during the fourth quarter. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 210 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 175.0% in the third quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of KMB stock traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $135.97. 1,796,126 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,221,649. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.99, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.05, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.81. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52 week low of $116.32 and a 52 week high of $145.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $127.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.53.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.40. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 250.28% and a net margin of 9.05%. The firm had revenue of $5.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on KMB. Evercore ISI upgraded Kimberly-Clark from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $133.00 to $150.00 in a report on Thursday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, HSBC raised their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $134.85.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Paula Ramos sold 10,178 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.17, for a total value of $1,396,116.26. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 795 shares in the company, valued at $109,050.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Jeffrey P. Melucci sold 6,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.59, for a total value of $866,420.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 33,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,562,467.91. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Paula Ramos sold 10,178 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.17, for a total value of $1,396,116.26. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $109,050.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,562 shares of company stock worth $2,808,345. Corporate insiders own 0.62% 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.