Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Shares Sold by Palisade Asset Management LLC

Palisade Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,003 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,030 shares during the quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $4,253,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,276,000 after acquiring an additional 935 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 26,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,186,000 after buying an additional 491 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 39,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,812,000 after acquiring an additional 4,375 shares in the last quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,018,000. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 5,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $656,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of KMB stock traded down $0.05 on Wednesday, hitting $135.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,603,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,214,151. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.32 and a fifty-two week high of $145.67. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $128.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.05, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.38.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 89.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Three research 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $134.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Paula Ramos sold 10,178 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.17, for a total value of $1,396,116.26. Following the sale, the insider now owns 795 shares in the company, valued at $109,050.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Paula Ramos sold 10,178 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.17, for a total value of $1,396,116.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $109,050.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 454 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.24, for a total transaction of $61,398.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,324.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,562 shares of company stock valued at $2,808,345 in the last three months. Company 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.