Kimberly-Clark beats Q4 earnings estimates, shares rise

Investing.com -- Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NASDAQ: KMB) reported fourth quarter adjusted earnings that exceeded analyst expectations, sending shares up 3.6% premarket as the company continues its strategic transformation toward higher-margin personal care categories.

The consumer products giant posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.86 for the fourth quarter, beating the analyst estimate of $1.81. Revenue came in at $4.08 billion, slightly below the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion and down 0.6% from the same period last year. However, organic sales grew 2.1%, driven by volume-plus-mix growth of 3.0%, partially offset by price investments of 1.1%.

"In 2025, we accelerated the largest transformation in Kimberly-Clark’s more than 150-year history, delivering results that underscore the strength of our business and serve as a springboard for enhanced growth and continued outperformance in 2026," said Kimberly-Clark Chairman and CEO Mike Hsu.

The company’s adjusted operating profit increased 13.1% to $629 million compared to the same quarter last year, driven by strong productivity gains and lower planned marketing, research and general expenses. International Personal Care segment saw organic sales growth of 4.5%, while North America delivered 0.8% organic growth despite a 3.7% impact from exiting the private label diaper business.

For 2026, Kimberly-Clark expects organic sales growth in line with or ahead of its category average of approximately 2%. The company forecasts adjusted operating profit to grow at a mid-to-high single-digit rate on a constant-currency basis, with adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations expected to grow at a double-digit rate.

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