Jul 25, 2011. /Lesprom Network/. Consumer products maker Kimberly-Clark Corp. said that its second-quarter profit fell 18% due to higher commodity costs and an increased tax rate. The Dallas company also said it expects 2011 adjusted earnings will likely be in the lower half of its previous range, but raised its full-year revenue guidance. Kimberly-Clark has seen costs for the materials it uses continue to climb and has raised prices in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure. Kimberly-Clark reported net income of $408 million, or $1.03 per share, for the period ended June 30. That's down from $498 million, or $1.20 per share, a year ago. Adjusted earnings were $1.18 per share. Revenue rose 8% to $5.26 billion from $4.86 billion on higher sales volumes and increased prices. Kimberly-Clark's outlook accounts for anticipated higher costs for polymer resin, superabsorbent, adhesives and other packaging materials. The company said that costs for many of those materials have continued to climb even though oil prices have moderated somewhat over the past three months. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas J. Falk said in a statement, "Our organic sales grew in the second quarter in line with our full-year plan, as we continue to benefit from innovation and targeted growth initiatives. We are gaining market share in a number of businesses and are launching additional product innovations to further improve our brands. We also continue to deliver significant ongoing cost savings and generate strong cash flow. Although adjusted earnings per share were down slightly in the second quarter versus last year, we delivered sequential improvement in most key metrics compared to the first quarter, which gives us added confidence in our performance in the back half of the year." Falk added, "Looking ahead, we will continue to deploy our strategies for long-term success and aggressively manage those factors we control to deliver near-term results. Although the commodity cost environment has worsened over the last three months, we are continuing to target adjusted earnings per share in a range of $4.80 to $5.05 for 2011. We plan to offset the incremental inflationary headwinds we now expect largely through incremental cost savings and overhead reductions, along with favorable currency exchange rates. Nonetheless, without some moderation in input costs, it's more likely that 2011 adjusted earnings per share will be in the lower half of our guidance range."