Kimberly-Clark Beats Profit Estimates as Productivity Offsets Sales Pressure

Core Insights - Kimberly-Clark reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.86 per share, exceeding analyst estimates of $1.81, with revenue at $4.08 billion, slightly below the consensus of $4.09 billion and down 0.6% year over year [1] Financial Performance - Adjusted operating profit increased by 13.1% to $629 million, attributed to productivity improvements and reduced spending on marketing, research, and overhead [2] - Organic sales in the International Personal Care segment grew by 4.5%, while North America experienced 0.8% organic growth, impacted by a 3.7% decline from exiting the private-label diaper business [2] Future Outlook - For 2026, Kimberly-Clark anticipates organic sales growth to align with or slightly exceed category averages of approximately 2% [3] - Adjusted operating profit is expected to grow at a mid-to-high single-digit rate on a constant-currency basis, with adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations projected to rise at a double-digit pace [3]