Haverford Trust Co Sells 2,476 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Haverford Trust Co lowered its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,257 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,476 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $2,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 76.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Down 0.7 %

KMB stock opened at $137.76 on Tuesday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52 week low of $123.84 and a 52 week high of $150.45. The company has a market capitalization of $45.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $135.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 201.43%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. This represents a $5.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.66%. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is currently 66.75%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 10,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.00, for a total value of $1,528,158.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,088,520. The trade was a 58.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMB has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $158.00 price target (down from $161.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $140.00 to $124.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.64.

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.