Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Shares Sold by Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 44.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 735 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 1.8% during the second quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 4,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Arcus Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 3.8% during the third quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Emerald Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC now owns 2,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.5% in the third quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connors Investor Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 2.1% in the first quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc. now owns 4,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of KMB stock opened at $126.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.94, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $42.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day moving average of $124.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $122.33. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 1-year low of $116.32 and a 1-year high of $147.87.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.99 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 260.47% and a net margin of 8.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.54 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.18. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 93.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark T. Smucker bought 827 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $120.98 per share, with a total value of $100,050.46. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,050.46. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $450,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 17,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,084,709. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mark T. Smucker acquired 827 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $120.98 per share, with a total value of $100,050.46. Following the purchase, the director now owns 827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,050.46. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KMB. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $134.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $133.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $123.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $131.85.

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.