Geode Capital Management LLC Boosts Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Free Report) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,675,506 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 206,671 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.30% of Kimberly-Clark worth $1,092,388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 0.9% in the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 7,739 shares of the company's stock worth $1,101,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC raised its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the company's stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 5,337 shares of the company's stock worth $759,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC grew its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 5,315 shares of the company's stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.7% in the third quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 2,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total value of $417,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,053 shares of the company's stock, valued at $702,417.53. This trade represents a 37.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Down 1.8 %

KMB stock traded down $2.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $130.65. 2,094,257 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,117,191. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.40. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 12-month low of $117.67 and a 12-month high of $149.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.14. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 198.59% and a net margin of 12.97%. The firm had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on KMB. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $153.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $149.93.

Kimberly-Clark Company Profile

Kimberly-Clark Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets personal care and consumer tissue products in the United States. It operates through three segments: Personal Care, Consumer Tissue, and K-C Professional. The company's Personal Care segment offers disposable diapers, training and youth pants, swimpants, baby wipes, feminine and incontinence care products, reusable underwear, and other related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, GoodNites, DryNites, Sweety, Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus, Thinx, Poise, Depend, Plenitud, Softex, and other brand names.