Renaissance Technologies LLC Decreases Stake in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Renaissance Technologies LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Free Report) by 36.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 462,289 shares of the company's stock after selling 270,203 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.14% of Kimberly-Clark worth $60,578,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KMB traded down $0.77 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $141.79. 513,116 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,140,813. The company has a market cap of $47.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.37. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 1 year low of $124.10 and a 1 year high of $150.45. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $138.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.80.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $1.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. 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 Analyst Weigh In

KMB has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $124.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen lowered Kimberly-Clark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $158.00 target price (down from $161.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $145.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $357,420. This trade represents a 49.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

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.