Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,950,000 shares, a drop of 7.7% from the October 31st total of 4,280,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,010,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 1.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Kimberly-Clark Price Performance

KMB stock traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $139.56. 2,397,068 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,108,461. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.33. The company has a market cap of $46.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.40. Kimberly-Clark has a one year low of $117.67 and a one year high of $149.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.14. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 198.59% and a net margin of 12.97%. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Kimberly-Clark Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on KMB. Barclays increased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $135.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $153.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $149.93.

Insider Activity at Kimberly-Clark

In other news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total value of $417,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $702,417.53. This represents a 37.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kimberly-Clark

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 5.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,304,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,768,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083,824 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,060,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,431,443,000 after acquiring an additional 358,926 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Kimberly-Clark by 2.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,675,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,092,388,000 after purchasing an additional 206,671 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Kimberly-Clark by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,712,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $385,900,000 after buying an additional 20,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 22.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,934,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,383,000 after buying an additional 354,501 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

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.