Kimberly-Clark Q1 2026 earnings beat sales estimates

2 min readUpdated April 28, 2026

First-quarter net sales at Kimberly-Clark $KMB came in at $4.16 billion, a 2.7% rise versus the same period last year, as new product introductions and an expanded lineup of value-oriented options fueled volume gains. Analysts had projected $4.09 billion, according to Reuters.

Organic sales grew 2.5%, with volume-plus-mix growth of 3.0% partially offset by lower pricing of 0.5%, which the company said reflected planned investments to drive new product trials and improve price-to-value tiers across its portfolio.

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The company reaffirmed its full-year outlook. For the full year, management is targeting organic sales growth that keeps pace with or exceeds the weighted average expansion rate across its competitive categories and markets — a benchmark that registered roughly 2.5% over the trailing 12 months. Adjusted operating profit is expected to grow at a mid-to-high single-digit rate on a constant-currency basis.

CFO Nelson Urdaneta cautioned that if crude stays near $100 a barrel for all of the back half of the year, the company could face between $150 million and $170 million in additional raw-material cost pressure, according to Reuters. Those figures have been excluded from guidance, and executives said they are actively looking at ways to offset the exposure. Separately, a fire at one of the company's California distribution centers is projected to weigh on second-quarter results by approximately $50 million, according to Reuters.

In North America, net sales of $2.65 billion fell 0.6%, as a 2.7% drag from the exit of the company's private label diaper business in the U.S. outweighed underlying organic sales growth of 1.8%. The International Personal Care segment posted net sales of $1.51 billion, up 9.1%, with organic sales growth of 4.0% driven by volume-led gains.

Operating profit for the quarter was $753 million, up from $631 million in the prior year. The current quarter included a $120 million benefit from the settlement of insurance claims related to a previous acquisition, as well as $99 million in charges tied to the company's 2024 Transformation Initiative and costs related to its pending acquisition of Kenvue. Adjusted operating profit was $732 million, up 3.7% from the prior year.

Kimberly-Clark said it is on track to close its acquisition of Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, in the second half of 2026. The company also expects to close the sale of its International Family Care and Professional business in mid-2026, with proceeds held in part to fund the Kenvue deal.

Ahead of the opening bell, the company's shares gained roughly 1%, according to Reuters.

Kimberly-Clark posted higher sales and is sticking to its full-year outlook

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