Pacer Advisors Inc. Lowers Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Pacer Advisors Inc. cut its stake in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Free Report) by 32.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,905 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,637 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $5,884,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Creative Planning increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 6.7% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 74,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,255,000 after acquiring an additional 4,661 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 43,088 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,955,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 0.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 47,574 shares of the company's stock worth $6,575,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 2.2% during the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,784 shares of the company's stock worth $2,320,000 after buying an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at $248,000. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company's stock.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of KMB traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $130.78. The stock had a trading volume of 1,860,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,069,831. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $131.50 and a 200 day moving average of $137.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77. The company has a market cap of $43.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.41. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52 week low of $117.67 and a 52 week high of $149.30.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.97% and a return on equity of 198.59%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.85%. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total value of $417,030.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,053 shares of the company's stock, valued at $702,417.53. This trade represents a 37.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com downgraded Kimberly-Clark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $132.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen lowered Kimberly-Clark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.64.

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.