Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Rating Lowered to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on KMB. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Kimberly-Clark from $104.00 to $97.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $121.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.50.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Down 1.6%

Kimberly-Clark stock opened at $106.64 on Tuesday. Kimberly-Clark has a twelve month low of $92.42 and a twelve month high of $123.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $102.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.14, a PEG ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.25.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.22 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.79% and a return on equity of 143.92%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.92 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Kimberly-Clark will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Kimberly-Clark

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter worth $32,000. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter worth $33,000. Markowski Investments acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Kimberly-Clark in the second quarter valued at $37,000. 76.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Kimberly-Clark

Here are the key news stories impacting Kimberly-Clark this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China antitrust approval removes a major regulatory hurdle for Kimberly-Clark’s proposed Kenvue acquisition, improving the deal’s closing prospects and potentially expanding the company’s consumer-health portfolio. Kimberly-Clark’s $40B purchase of Kenvue wins China antitrust approval
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and a $120 price target, citing strong execution and earnings momentum. That view provides a bullish counterpoint to concerns surrounding the acquisition and financing. Kimberly-Clark maintained at Buy with $120 price target
• Positive Sentiment: Kimberly-Clark de México reported margin gains and a strong cash position in the third quarter, suggesting improving operating performance in an important regional business. Kimberly-Clark de México third-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary comparing Kimberly-Clark with Clorox highlights that both companies offer yields above 4.5% but are undergoing overhauls, making execution and balance-sheet strength more important than headline yield alone. Kimberly-Clark vs. Clorox dividend comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Kimberly-Clark priced $4.9 billion of senior unsecured notes to help fund the Kenvue transaction. The financing increases leverage and interest obligations, intensifying investor concerns about balance-sheet risk and future dividend flexibility. Kimberly-Clark prices $4.9 billion notes for Kenvue deal
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analysis questions whether Kimberly-Clark’s long dividend record is adequately supported by free cash flow, particularly as payout ratios leave little cushion and the company takes on acquisition debt. Jim Cramer calls Kimberly-Clark a hated Dividend King

Kimberly-Clark Company Profile

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) is a global consumer products company that develops and markets personal care, tissue and professional hygiene products. Its portfolio includes products for babies and children, feminine care, adult care, family care and workplace hygiene.

The company’s well-known brands include Huggies diapers and wipes, Kleenex facial tissue, Cottonelle bathroom tissue, Scott toilet paper and paper towels, Kotex feminine care products, and Depend, Poise and GoodNites products.