We recently published an article about the 8 Best Cleaning Materials Stocks To Invest In Now. Let’s look at where Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) stands against other cleaning materials stocks to invest in now.
Investors are reacting to an array of geopolitical and economic developments as volatility in the US equity market edges higher heading into year-end. The upcoming US election is posing a significant headwind that is taking a toll on sentiments in the equity markets. Similarly, concerns of a slowing economy crumbling amid high interest rates is also leading investors to rethink their investment portfolios.
Will the Soft Landing Narrative Play Out the Way Investors Want?
On October 16, Saira Malik, Nuveen CIO and head of equities and fixed income, joined CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the latest market trends, whether the soft landing narrative will play out, and the state of the economy, among others. She said that concerns exist over whether the soft landing narrative will play out the way investors want or not.
Investors are drinking the Kool Aid when it comes to a soft landing, and that can be seen in the earnings seasons so far where companies are coming in reasonably strong, especially in the non-tech side. The consumer also looks strong. But the bar is pretty low for this earnings season, with a 4% year over year earnings growth expected as compared to last quarter’s 11%. Thus, Malik is of the view that the narrative might not play out exactly the way it was anticipated.
How to Hedge Your Portfolio Amid Market Volatility
On August 8, Tiffany McGhee, CEO and CIO of Pivotal Advisors, appeared on CNBC to discuss the market’s volatility and ways to hedge your portfolio. She expressed her inclination towards holding a diversified portfolio and an asset allocation strategy set. She said that it is really exciting getting caught up in the large-cap growth stocks that really drive the performance of the market for so long. But it is really important to have a balance portfolio, and thus she reiterated that investors should really consider having defensive stocks if they don’t have any.
Defensive stocks have long been a popular addition to portfolios, as they hold the potential to protect investors from the transitions of the stock market. They can produce good income, stable returns, and pose long-term value for investors.
Our Methodology
To ranks the 8 best cleaning materials stocks to invest in now, we used the Finviz screener, ETFs, and online rankings to first identify the top cleaning material stocks. We then selected 8 stocks that were also the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their hedge fund holders as of Q2 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
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Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders as of Q2 2024: 43
Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) manufactures and markets a range of products by employing advanced technologies in absorbency, nonwovens, and fibers. It operates in three segments: the Personal Care segment, the Consumer Tissue segment, and the K-C Professional segment. It sells its products under various brands, including Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle, DryNites, Huggies, and others. Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) is accelerating investments to build its brands, powerhouse categories, and innovative pipeline.
It is effectively managing its external dynamics, driving its consumer-centric culture, and making the company stronger, faster, and better. It is also turbocharging its ability to offer better care to customers, ramping up its investments and leveraging its core strengths to unlock the company’s complete potential.
Its Q2 2024 results were characterized by positive volume driven by innovative new products, pioneering, and leveraging continued productivity momentum for solid earnings growth compared to the prior-year period.
Overall, Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) has a solid foundation to leverage and accelerate investments across its operations. Its primary focus for the future lies in delivering consumer solutions at every price point, improving its long-term potential, and boosting its operational scale.
Overall, Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) ranks 3rd among the 8 best cleaning materials stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential of KMB to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than KMB but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.