Brokerages Set Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Price Target at $117.93

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have assigned a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $117.9286.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Freedom Capital raised shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Kimberly-Clark to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of KMB opened at $107.72 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32, a PEG ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark has a 52 week low of $92.42 and a 52 week high of $136.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $108.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.45.

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

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is currently 87.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 40,846,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,121,027,000 after buying an additional 315,981 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,547,915,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,125,118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,157,746,000 after buying an additional 294,228 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,917,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,202,322,000 after acquiring an additional 299,382 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,322,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $836,216,000 after acquiring an additional 65,619 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

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.