Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New $2.63 Million Investment in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 20,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,628,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,304,396 shares of the company's stock worth $2,768,367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083,824 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,589,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,387,709,000 after buying an additional 529,223 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,675,506 shares of the company's stock worth $1,092,388,000 after acquiring an additional 206,671 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,040,747 shares of the company's stock worth $398,459,000 after purchasing an additional 30,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,740,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $358,625,000 after acquiring an additional 464,615 shares during the period. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock traded down $0.72 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $137.10. 825,405 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,037,734. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52 week low of $123.84 and a 52 week high of $150.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05. The firm's fifty day moving average is $135.09 and its 200-day moving average is $136.11. The stock has a market cap of $45.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.16, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.36.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.26 per share. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 10,838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.00, for a total value of $1,528,158.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 7,720 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,088,520. This trade represents a 58.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on KMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $132.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Kimberly-Clark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.