Westpac Banking Corp Invests $1.81 Million in Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB

Westpac Banking Corp purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 16,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,815,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter worth $4,071,000. Korea Investment CORP acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,951,000. Burnham & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,123,000. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter worth $126,000. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

NASDAQ KMB opened at $109.31 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $108.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $103.43. The stock has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.59, a PEG ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.91. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $92.42 and a fifty-two week high of $134.38.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $1.80 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.21). Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.79% and a return on equity of 143.92%. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 87.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMB has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Kimberly-Clark to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.93.

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.