Essex Financial Services Inc. Boosts Stake in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,489 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 808.0% during 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 shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:KMB opened at $133.87 on Thursday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 1 year low of $117.67 and a 1 year high of $149.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $129.99 and its 200 day moving average is $136.60. The company has a market cap of $44.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.41.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 201.43% and a net margin of 12.69%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.51 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.26 dividend. This represents a $5.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.76%. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KMB has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. 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 note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.64.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total value of $417,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,053 shares in the company, valued at $702,417.53. This trade represents a 37.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

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.