Advisory Services Network LLC Increases Stake in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Free Report) by 43.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,584 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,190 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC's holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $2,697,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter valued at $908,000. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 110.3% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 328 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 19.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,681,671 shares of the company's stock valued at $239,267,000 after purchasing an additional 273,813 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,517 shares of the company's stock worth $638,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the third quarter valued at approximately $730,000. 76.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of KMB stock traded up $0.02 on Wednesday, hitting $141.49. 408,404 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,138,426. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 1-year low of $124.10 and a 1-year high of $150.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $46.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.37. The company's fifty day moving average is $138.92 and its 200 day moving average is $135.72.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 201.43% and a net margin of 12.69%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $1.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Kimberly-Clark's payout ratio is currently 66.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on KMB shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $124.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $145.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 10,838 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.00, for a total value of $1,528,158.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,720 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,088,520. The trade was a 58.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

About Kimberly-Clark

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.