Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Stake Cut by North Star Asset Management Inc.

North Star Asset Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 101,667 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,579 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $10,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 7.3% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 363,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,923,000 after purchasing an additional 24,698 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 44.3% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 284,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,698,000 after purchasing an additional 87,455 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 11.0% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 20.5% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $401,310.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $797,233.08. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock worth $689,687. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

KMB stock opened at $99.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.29. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 1 year low of $92.42 and a 1 year high of $144.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $97.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.39.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.93 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is currently 80.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $114.93.

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.