With a market cap of $44.6 billion, Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) is a global leader in the manufacturing and marketing of personal care and consumer tissue products. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates in more than 175 countries and has an extensive portfolio of well-known brands including Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, and Scott.
Shares of this personal care company have notably underperformed the broader market over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks, KMB has soared 14.2%, lagging behind the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 23.5% returns. In 2025, KMB rallied 3.3%, compared to SPX’s 4% gains on a YTD basis.
Looking further, while KMB outperformed the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLP) 11.8% returns over the past 52 weeks, it marginally underperformed XLP's 3.6% gains in 2025.
On Jan. 28, shares of KMB plunged 1.5% after it announced its Q4 earnings report. The company reported revenue of $4.93 billion, slightly surpassing analyst expectations of $4.86 billion, though it remained flat compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA of $896 million beat expectations of $887.1 million, reflecting an 18.2% margin, slightly outperforming estimates. However, the operating margin declined to 11.1% from 13.5% reported in the year-ago quarter, and the free cash flow margin fell to 12.3%, down from 20.1% in Q4 2023.
For the current fiscal 2025, ending in December, analysts anticipate Kimberly-Clark’s EPS to grow 2.9% annually to $7.51. The company’s earnings surprise history is robust. It beat or met the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters. Its EPS of $1.50 for the last reported came in line with the Street's expectations.
KMB stock has a consensus “Hold” rating, a downgrade from the “Moderate Buy” rating two months back. Among the 19 analysts in coverage, five suggest a “Strong Buy,” one gives a “Moderate Buy,” 11 analysts recommend a “Hold,” and two advise “Strong Sells.”
On Jan. 30, Barclays (BCS) analyst Lauren Lieberman raised Kimberly-Clark's price target from $132 to $139 while maintaining an “Equal-Weight” rating.
KMB’s mean price target of $142.83 represents a premium of 5.5% from current price levels. The street-high target of $168 indicates a potential upside of 24.1%.
On the date of publication, Rashmi Kumari did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.More news from Barchart
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