Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $7.80 Million Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 59,537 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,032 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $7,802,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $350,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $357,420. This trade represents a 49.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KMB opened at $144.02 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 12-month low of $123.02 and a 12-month high of $150.45. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $132.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.48. The firm has a market cap of $47.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.08, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.36.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 201.43% and a net margin of 12.69%. Equities research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.26 per share. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio is 66.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com raised Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Kimberly-Clark from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $144.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.64.

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.