California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 6,125 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

California State Teachers Retirement System decreased its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB – Get Rating) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 569,406 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,125 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $64,081,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Wagner Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 103.4% during the 3rd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5,145.0% during the 2nd quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 13,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 12,914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 72.7% in the third quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 74.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

NYSE:KMB opened at $126.91 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $129.57 and its 200 day moving average is $127.60. The firm has a market cap of $42.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.83, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.78. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52-week low of $108.74 and a 52-week high of $144.53.

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

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 10th will be issued a $1.18 dividend. This represents a $4.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 9th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on KMB. Citigroup initiated coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a report on Thursday, February 16th. They set a “sell” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $129.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note 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 research note on Friday, January 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $128.00.

About Kimberly-Clark

(Get Rating)

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.