AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Purchases 160,279 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 644.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 185,163 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 160,279 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $24,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its position in Kimberly-Clark by 808.0% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KMB opened at $132.79 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a twelve month low of $117.93 and a twelve month high of $149.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $129.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.57. The company has a market capitalization of $44.28 billion, a PE ratio of 17.59, a PEG ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last announced its 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 return on equity of 201.43% and a net margin of 12.69%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.51 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.26 dividend. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is presently 64.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KMB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup cut 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $124.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total value 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. The trade was a 37.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kimberly-Clark 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.