First Affirmative Financial Network Grows Stock Holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

First Affirmative Financial Network raised its position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,540 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. CX Institutional boosted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 5,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $825,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Capital Investment Counsel Inc raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% in the first quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc now owns 10,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 0.9% in the second quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 9,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.6% during the first quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 5,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $659,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:KMB opened at $142.25 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 12-month low of $116.63 and a 12-month high of $149.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $142.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.59. The firm has a market cap of $47.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.39.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.10 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 223.55%. Kimberly-Clark’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.25 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.30%.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, insider Gonzalo Uribe sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $250,695.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,377 shares in the company, valued at $1,038,976.68. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Gonzalo Uribe sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $250,695.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,038,976.68. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jeffrey P. Melucci sold 37,699 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.42, for a total value of $5,331,392.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 19,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,819,207.70. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on KMB shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $161.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $146.00 price target for the company. Finally, Argus raised Kimberly-Clark to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $147.07.

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.