Kimberly-Clark Q1 2026 Net Sales Up 2.7%

By Chris Stiles • Tuesday, April 28 11:45 • Permanent Link

Kimberly-Clark reported first-quarter 2026 net sales of $4.2 billion, up 2.7% from a year earlier, as organic sales rose 2.5% and currency added 2.0 percentage points, partly offset by a 1.8% hit from the exit of its U.S. private label diaper business.

Volume-plus-mix was the main driver, contributing 3.0 percentage points to organic growth, while pricing reduced organic sales by 0.5 percentage points.

Gross margin was 36.8%, compared with 37.2% a year ago. On an adjusted basis, gross margin was 37.9%, down 60 basis points from the prior year.

Operating profit climbed to $753 million from $631 million. Adjusted operating profit increased 3.7% to $732 million from $706 million, helped by productivity savings, lower marketing, research and general expenses, and favorable currency translation.

Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $1.70, up from $1.39. Adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations was $1.60, down 1.2% from $1.62 a year earlier. Diluted EPS attributable to Kimberly-Clark was $2.00, compared with $1.70 last year, while adjusted diluted EPS attributable to Kimberly-Clark rose 2.1% to $1.97 from $1.93.

In North America, net sales fell 0.6% to $2.7 billion. Organic sales rose 1.8%, led by broad-based volume growth, but operating profit dropped 8.1% to $623 million.

International personal care posted the strongest regional growth, with net sales up 9.1% to $1.5 billion. Organic sales increased 4.0%, and operating profit rose 21.9% to $245 million.

Cash provided by operations jumped to $745 million from $327 million. Capital spending increased to $424 million from $204 million. The company returned $418 million to shareholders in dividends. Total debt was $7.1 billion at March 31, down from $7.2 billion at the end of December.

For 2026, Kimberly-Clark said it still expects organic sales growth to run in line with or ahead of category growth, adjusted operating profit to rise at a mid* to high-single-digit rate on a constant-currency basis, and adjusted EPS from continuing operations to grow at a double-digit rate on a constant-currency basis. The market has reacted to these announcements by moving the company's shares -0.08% to a price of $97.85. For the full picture, make sure to review KIMBERLY CLARK CORP's 8-K report.

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