Kimberly-Clark Corporation $KMB Shares Bought by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 448,232 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,691 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.14% of Kimberly-Clark worth $45,222,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth $27,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 96.6% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 285 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Katy Chen sold 1,596 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $797,233.08. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, VP Andrew Scribner sold 4,095 shares of the firm’s 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,096 shares of company stock valued at $689,687. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of KMB opened at $97.60 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $97.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a 52-week low of $92.42 and a 52-week high of $144.30.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 152.79%. Kimberly-Clark’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Corporation will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on KMB shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $114.93.

About Kimberly-Clark

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.