Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) Shares Sold by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lowered its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 5.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,526 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,763 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $4,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 18.2% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 454,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,738,000 after acquiring an additional 69,794 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Kimberly-Clark by 506.8% during the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,574,000 after acquiring an additional 10,820 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,094,000. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. purchased a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the fourth quarter worth about $11,994,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth about $14,751,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE KMB opened at $140.75 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 12 month low of $116.32 and a 12 month high of $149.30. The company has a market capitalization of $47.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.59, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $142.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.10.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.10 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a return on equity of 223.55% and a net margin of 11.28%. The business’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is currently 89.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on KMB shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 19th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $161.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas started coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $146.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upgraded Kimberly-Clark from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $115.00 to $160.00 in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Finally, Argus upgraded Kimberly-Clark to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kimberly-Clark presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.67.

Insider Transactions at Kimberly-Clark

In related news, insider Gonzalo Uribe sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $250,695.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,038,976.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Gonzalo Uribe sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $250,695.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,038,976.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeffrey P. Melucci sold 37,699 shares of the 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 sale, 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. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

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.