Nuance Investments LLC Sells 278,820 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Nuance Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Free Report) by 30.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 626,401 shares of the company's stock after selling 278,820 shares during the quarter. Kimberly-Clark accounts for 3.0% of Nuance Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Nuance Investments LLC owned 0.19% of Kimberly-Clark worth $89,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 41,452 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,898,000 after buying an additional 1,385 shares during the period. Commerce Bank raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 102,238 shares of the company's stock worth $14,546,000 after purchasing an additional 7,955 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,105 shares of the company's stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. West Family Investments Inc. increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 30.8% in the third quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 1,972 shares of the company's stock worth $281,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the period. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the third quarter valued at $2,840,000. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KMB traded up $0.76 on Wednesday, reaching $136.37. 1,774,725 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,107,377. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a twelve month low of $117.67 and a twelve month high of $149.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $139.06 and a 200-day moving average of $139.15. The company has a market capitalization of $45.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.59, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77.

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

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KMB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $161.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $149.93.

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.