Kimberly-Clark (KMB) to Release Earnings on Tuesday

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) is scheduled to post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Tuesday, April 23rd. Analysts expect Kimberly-Clark to post earnings of $1.59 per share for the quarter. Individual that are interested in participating in the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The company reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.99 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 260.47%. The firm’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Kimberly-Clark to post $7 EPS for the current fiscal year and $7 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 1.0 %

KMB opened at $126.83 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $124.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.94. The company has a market cap of $42.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.40. Kimberly-Clark has a 52 week low of $116.32 and a 52 week high of $147.87.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.18. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is 93.85%.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $450,120.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 17,229 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,084,709. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Kimberly-Clark news, insider Tristram Wilkinson sold 3,720 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $450,120.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 17,229 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,084,709. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mark T. Smucker bought 827 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $120.98 per share, for a total transaction of $100,050.46. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,050.46. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth $34,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth $37,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the first quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on KMB shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $123.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Barclays increased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, HSBC increased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $134.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $131.85.

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.