New England Research & Management Inc. Cuts Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

New England Research & Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,339 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,015 shares during the period. Kimberly-Clark comprises about 1.1% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $2,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of KMB. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 808.0% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 227 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE KMB opened at $129.67 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $43.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.82, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52-week low of $117.67 and a 52-week high of $149.30. The business’s 50 day moving average is $131.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.41.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 198.59% and a net margin of 12.97%. Research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.89%. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KMB has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com cut Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lowered their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, TD Cowen cut Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.64.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total transaction of $417,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $702,417.53. This represents a 37.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.62% 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.