Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Short Interest Down 7.7% in November

Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,950,000 shares, a drop of 7.7% from the October 31st total of 4,280,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,010,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 1.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KMB opened at $136.82 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Kimberly-Clark has a 1 year low of $117.67 and a 1 year high of $149.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $138.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.35. The stock has a market cap of $45.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.40.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 198.59% and a net margin of 12.97%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KMB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $153.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued 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 $149.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total transaction of $417,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $702,417.53. This trade represents a 37.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KMB. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 808.0% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 227 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Company 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.