Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Holdings Boosted by Aviance Capital Partners LLC

Aviance Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,875 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the third quarter worth $29,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 10,838 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.00, for a total value of $1,528,158.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,088,520. This represents a 58.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of KMB opened at $144.86 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.80. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52 week low of $123.02 and a 52 week high of $149.31.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 201.43%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.26 dividend. This represents a $5.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is 66.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KMB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $124.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen lowered shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.64.

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.