
Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB)
Ever wondered who makes the loo roll and tissues filling up supermarket aisles? Meet the global household giant behind Kleenex and Huggies.
Is Kimberly-Clark Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Ever wondered who makes the loo roll and tissues filling up supermarket aisles? Meet the global household giant behind Kleenex and Huggies.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
sustained margin expansion through efficient manufacturing and steady dividend payouts
prolonged demographic shifts or permanent loss of brand loyalty to cheaper alternatives
What does Kimberly-Clark Corporation do?
Kimberly-Clark lives in your bathroom cabinet, making everyday essentials like nappies, facial tissues, and wet wipes that people keep buying no matter what the wider economy is doing. It makes its money by shifting huge volumes of these trusted brand names to supermarkets and shops worldwide. The key factor to keep an eye on is whether it can keep raising prices to offset the cost of raw materials without sending shoppers running to cheaper supermarket own-brands.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on income and momentum, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 4.7% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 3% over the year
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 3.7x its equity
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 112%)
- owns household-name brands that people reach for out of habit
- generous dividend yield relative to the broader market
- defensive qualities with a very low beta suggesting calmer price swings
- shoppers switching to cheaper supermarket private-label alternatives
- rising manufacturing and logistics expenses squeezing profit margins
- foreign exchange movements eating into international profits
What do Kimberly-Clark Corporation's numbers mean?
How much money does Kimberly-Clark Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Kimberly-Clark Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Kimberly-Clark Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 4.7% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does Kimberly-Clark Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-04 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-28 | $1.93 | $1.97 | Beat +2% |
| 2026-01-27 | $1.81 | $1.86 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-10-30 | $1.75 | $1.82 | Beat +4% |
| 2025-08-01 | $1.66 | $1.92 | Beat +16% |
| 2025-04-22 | $1.89 | $1.93 | Beat +2% |
| 2025-01-28 | $1.51 | $1.50 | In line |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Kimberly-Clark Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
More in Consumer Defensive
What are the scenarios for Kimberly-Clark Corporation?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Kimberly-Clark Corporation?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- owns household-name brands that people reach for out of habit
- generous dividend yield relative to the broader market
- defensive qualities with a very low beta suggesting calmer price swings
- steady consumer demand even during economic downturns
- relatively slow revenue growth year-on-year
- high price-to-book ratio pointing to an expensive valuation on paper
- vulnerable to fluctuations in the cost of raw materials like paper pulp
- shoppers switching to cheaper supermarket private-label alternatives
- rising manufacturing and logistics expenses squeezing profit margins
- foreign exchange movements eating into international profits
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- a sustained acceleration in organic volume growth across core markets
- a permanent shift in profit margins away from historical norms
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.