Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) Raises Dividend to $1.28 Per Share

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ:KMB) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of 1.28 per share on Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a 1.6% increase from Kimberly-Clark’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.26.

Kimberly-Clark has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 54 years. Kimberly-Clark has a payout ratio of 66.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Kimberly-Clark to earn $7.88 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 64.0%.

Kimberly-Clark Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KMB traded down $0.50 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $100.64. 7,860,605 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,624,122. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $102.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.26. Kimberly-Clark has a fifty-two week low of $96.26 and a fifty-two week high of $150.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.41, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.05. Kimberly-Clark had a net margin of 10.89% and a return on equity of 183.11%. The business had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Kimberly-Clark’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Kimberly-Clark will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.