Kimberly-Clark Corporation reported adjusted operating profit of $629 million for the Q4 ended December 31, 2025, a 13% increase from $556 million in the same period last year, driven by strong productivity savings and volume-plus-mix growth, according to Kimberly-Clark.
Net sales of $4.1 billion were nearly flat, with a 0.6% decrease. Organic sales grew 2.1%, driven by volume-plus-mix growth of 3.0%, partially offset by price investments of 1.1%. Adjusted earnings per share attributable to Kimberly-Clark increased 24% to $1.86.
Adjusted gross margin was 37.0%, in line with the prior year, as strong productivity savings and volume growth were offset by unfavorable pricing net of cost inflation, reflecting planned investments to improve pricevalue tiers. The adjusted effective tax rate was 23.1%, down from 26.8% a year earlier, benefiting from a lower valuation allowance and the resolution of certain tax matters.
For the full year 2025, net sales decreased by 2.1% to $16.4 billion. Organic sales grew 1.7%, driven by a 2.5% increase in volume. Adjusted operating profit of $2.7 billion was in line with the prior year, as lower marketing and general expenses offset gross profit headwinds from pricing investments and incremental tariff-related costs. Adjusted EPS attributable to Kimberly-Clark increased 3.2% to $7.53.
The company stated it is making strong progress on its integration planning efforts for the pending Kenvue acquisition.
For 2026, Kimberly-Clark expects organic sales growth in line with or ahead of its categories, which grew at approximately 2%. It forecasts adjusted operating profit to grow at a mid-to-high single-digit rate on a constant-currency basis. Adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations are expected to grow double-digit on a constant-currency basis, driven by an approximately 30% increase in income from equity companies, a flat net interest expense, an adjusted effective tax rate of approximately 23%, and essentially unchanged average shares outstanding. Adjusted EPS attributable to Kimberly-Clark is expected to be flat on a constant-currency basis, reflecting a reduction in income from discontinued operations linked to the expected close of the IFP transaction in mid-2026.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products.
