Kimberly-Clark earnings date and guidance
Kimberly-Clark’s next results are expected on November 5, 2026. The key thing to watch is whether China’s sales drag eases and profit improvement avoids temporary help.
What has Kimberly-Clark guided for the year?
The retained business is still expected to deliver mid-single-digit adjusted operating-profit growth and high-single-digit adjusted EPS growth. Management also guides to US$2,000 million of adjusted free cash flow after capital spending, with gross productivity of 5.0%–6.0%. Gross productivity means savings before inflation, reinvestment and other costs reduce them. This guidance excludes Kenvue.
| The period guided | Low | High | The date it was given | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Sales Growth — basis points below weighted average category growth | Year to Dec 2026 | 100 | 100 | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Adjusted Operating Profit growth — constant currency | Year to Dec 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 | ||
| Adjusted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations growth — constant currency | Year to Dec 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 | ||
| Adjusted Earnings per Share Attributable to Kimberly-Clark decline — constant currency | Year to Dec 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 | ||
| Adjusted Free Cash Flow | Year to Dec 2026 | 2,000 | 2,000 | Aug 4, 2026 |
| Gross Productivity (%) | Year to Dec 2026 | 5.0% | 6.0% | Aug 4, 2026 |
What this means. The organic sales figure is about 1 percentage point below the category's growth, not the company's expected sales growth by itself.
Has Kimberly-Clark kept its past promises?
The 2025 annual scorecard missed both disclosed targets. Organic sales growth was 1.1% against a 2.5% target, while adjusted earnings per share were $7.37 against $7.56. Organic growth removes currency and portfolio effects; adjusted earnings remove specified accounting items. Hsu’s annual incentive paid at 61% of target, and the committee excluded an accounting benefit from paused depreciation.
The longer-term award produced a different result. The 2023–2025 performance awards paid at 150% of target because organic growth met its goal and modified free cash flow exceeded its maximum. Modified free cash flow excluded transformation and separation cash costs. Those costs still reduce cash available to shareholders, so a weak annual award and a generous three-year payout can coexist.
What do Kimberly-Clark’s last eight quarters show?
Revenue was $4,134 million, compared with $4,150 million a year earlier. Organic sales fell 1.3%. Gross margin declined from 36.0% to 34.9%. Operating income fell from $621 million to $516 million. Continuing diluted EPS nevertheless rose from $1.01 to $1.19 because earnings per share comes after taxes and other items.
| Sep 2026 | Jun 2026 | Mar 2026 | Dec 2025 | Sep 2025 | Jun 2025 | Mar 2025 | Dec 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 4,134 | 4,189 | 4,163 | 4,080 | 4,150 | 4,163 | 4,054 | 4,104 |
| Gross margin | 34.9% | 38.3% | 36.8% | 35.9% | 36.0% | 35.0% | 37.2% | 35.2% |
| Operating income | 516 | 633 | 753 | 507 | 621 | 592 | 631 | 420 |
| Net income | 405 | 564 | 380 | 336 | 441 | 464 | 344 | |
| EPS, diluted | 1.19 | 1.22 | 1.70 | 1.14 | 1.01 | 1.33 | 1.39 | 1.03 |
| − Capital spending | 285 | 410 | 352 | 313 | 176 | 179 | 172 |
What this means. The September 2026 net income is blank because the preliminary filing did not yet report the profit belonging to shareholders, and the rounded earnings per share cannot recover it exactly.
What should I watch in Kimberly-Clark’s next results?
K-C plans to publish final third-quarter results and hold an analyst Q&A on November 5. The October 15 release was preliminary. Investors should look for a smaller China sales drag and profit improvement that does not depend on temporary help, since second-quarter adjusted results benefited from one-time tariff refunds.