Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Receives $118.33 Average Price Target from Analysts

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $118.5833.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Argus raised Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and set a $120.00 price objective (down from $150.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $162.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of KMB opened at $99.99 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Kimberly-Clark has a one year low of $96.26 and a one year high of $150.45. The company has a market cap of $33.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.26.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 170.48% and a net margin of 11.73%.The company had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.28 dividend. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is 83.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 40,846,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,121,027,000 after acquiring an additional 315,981 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 20,830,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,615,382,000 after purchasing an additional 997,397 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 1.9% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,482,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,480,344,000 after purchasing an additional 218,644 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,254,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,065,423,000 after purchasing an additional 363,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,839,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $790,934,000 after buying an additional 2,628,206 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

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.