BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Boosts Stock Position in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its holdings in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 11.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 555,821 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 55,572 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $79,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KMB. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 41,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,898,000 after acquiring an additional 1,385 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank lifted its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 102,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,546,000 after buying an additional 7,955 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,000 after buying an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. raised its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 30.8% during the third quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 1,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $136.37 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.77. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 12-month low of $117.67 and a 12-month high of $149.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.48 billion, a PE ratio of 17.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $138.92 and its 200-day moving average is $139.13.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.14. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.97% and a return on equity of 198.59%. The company had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. Kimberly-Clark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KMB has been the subject of a number of research reports. 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group cut 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $149.93.

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.