Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on KMB. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Monday, December 1st. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Kimberly-Clark from $112.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Argus upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays set a $102.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Friday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kimberly-Clark currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.58.

Kimberly-Clark Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ KMB opened at $100.77 on Monday. Kimberly-Clark has a twelve month low of $96.26 and a twelve month high of $150.45. The stock has a market cap of $33.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.97. The company’s fifty day moving average is $101.61 and its 200-day moving average is $114.90.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 170.48%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMB. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kimberly-Clark by 989.5% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Kimberly-Clark during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Kimberly-Clark by 177.6% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a U.S.-based multinational manufacturer of personal care and consumer tissue products. The company develops, produces and markets a range of consumer brands and professional products, including facial and bathroom tissues, disposable diapers and training pants, feminine care, incontinence products and workplace hygiene solutions. Known for consumer-facing names such as Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex, Cottonelle and Scott, as well as professional offerings under Kimberly-Clark Professional and KleenGuard, the company supplies goods to retail, healthcare and institutional customers.

Founded in 1872 in Neenah, Wisconsin, Kimberly-Clark has expanded from its 19th-century paper-making roots into a global household and workplace products company.