Merit Financial Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Posted by on Mar 24th, 2023

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB – Get Rating) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,563 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 523 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,125,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,277,796,000 after buying an additional 489,598 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,658,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,542,866,000 after purchasing an additional 606,657 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,445,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $670,678,000 after purchasing an additional 397,337 shares during the period. Cowa LLC purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,981,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $538,043,000 after purchasing an additional 111,152 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.16% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE KMB opened at $127.37 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $42.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.83. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52-week low of $108.74 and a 52-week high of $144.53. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $128.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.57.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 25th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $4.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.99 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 264.67% and a net margin of 9.59%. The business’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.18 per share. This represents a $4.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 9th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on KMB. StockNews.com upgraded Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $124.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $137.00 to $139.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $128.09.

Kimberly-Clark Profile

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Kimberly-Clark Corp. engages in the manufacture and marketing of products made from natural or synthetic fibers. It operates through the following segments: Personal Care, Consumer Tissue, and K-C Professional. The Personal Care segment offers disposable diapers, training and youth pants, swim pants, baby wipes, feminine and incontinence care products, and other related products.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB)

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