Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Free Report) had its price target boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $124.00 to $131.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on KMB. StockNews.com raised Kimberly-Clark from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. TD Cowen lowered 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. Citigroup decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $145.38.

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Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KMB traded down $1.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $141.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,855,656 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,188,994. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $138.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.37. Kimberly-Clark has a fifty-two week low of $124.10 and a fifty-two week high of $150.45.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $350,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,553 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $357,420. The trade was a 49.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.