Wells Fargo & Company MN Sells 83,774 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Wells Fargo & Company MN decreased its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,957,390 shares of the company's stock after selling 83,774 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned 0.59% of Kimberly-Clark worth $256,496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 35,142,545 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,605,079,000 after purchasing an additional 4,603,787 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 529,223 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,473,459 shares of the company's stock worth $1,113,444,000 after buying an additional 797,953 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth $582,592,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,040,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $398,459,000 after buying an additional 30,312 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE KMB traded up $2.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $139.77. The company had a trading volume of 1,721,534 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,151,052. 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 company has a market capitalization of $46.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.51, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $138.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.72. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 12-month low of $123.84 and a 12-month 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 for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 201.43%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $1.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark's previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Kimberly-Clark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on KMB shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $158.00 price target (down previously from $161.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup decreased their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $145.38.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 10,838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,720 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,088,520. This trade represents a 58.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.