Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Increases Stock Holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 0.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,922 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $3,997,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 5,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $825,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc grew its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc now owns 10,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. raised its position in Kimberly-Clark by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 9,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 5,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $659,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of KMB opened at $148.35 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.21. The firm has a market cap of $49.95 billion, a PE ratio of 27.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.39. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 12-month low of $116.32 and a 12-month high of $148.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.59.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.25. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 223.55%. The company had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.65 earnings per share. Kimberly-Clark’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.25 EPS for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jeffrey P. Melucci sold 37,699 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.42, for a total value of $5,331,392.58. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,819,207.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Gonzalo Uribe sold 1,780 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $250,695.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,038,976.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeffrey P. Melucci sold 37,699 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.42, for a total transaction of $5,331,392.58. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,819,207.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on KMB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $123.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Argus raised Kimberly-Clark to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen began coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $161.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.67.

Kimberly-Clark 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.