New York Life Investment Management LLC Sells 983 Shares of Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB)

New York Life Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in Kimberly-Clark Co. (NYSE:KMB) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 983 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kimberly-Clark were worth $6,497,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of KMB. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:KMB opened at $142.00 on Friday. Kimberly-Clark Co. has a 52-week low of $121.00 and a 52-week high of $149.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $131.31 and a 200 day moving average of $136.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.41. 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 the consensus estimate of $1.50. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 201.43%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark Co. will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. This represents a $5.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. Kimberly-Clark’s payout ratio is currently 66.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kimberly-Clark

In other Kimberly-Clark news, VP Andrew Drexler sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $350,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,553 shares in the company, valued at $357,420. This represents a 49.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $158.00 price objective (down from $161.00) on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $125.00 to $118.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.64.

Kimberly-Clark Company 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.