Kimberly-Clark reports results on Thursday 5 November, before the market opens. The analysts' average EPS estimate for the quarter is $1.64.
Source: reported quarterly EPS and aggregated third-party estimates. Historical surprises are context, not a forecast.
View chart data
| Period | Reported EPS | Analysts' estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Sep '25 | $1.82 | $1.75 |
| Dec '25 | $1.86 | $1.81 |
| Mar '26 | $1.97 | $1.93 |
| Jun '26 | $2.12 | $2.01 |
What analysts expect from Kimberly-Clark
The full-year estimate has been revised down and the recommendation mix skews neutral. For the quarter, the analysts' average EPS estimate is $1.64, in a range from $1.54 to $1.70, and the average revenue estimate is $4.1 billion. The full-year average EPS estimate is $7.39, down 1.9% on last year based on 16 analysts, and that estimate has fallen 2.0% over the past 90 days. Of the analysts' recommendations, 7 are positive, 9 neutral and 1 negative.
Earnings surprise model
Our model estimates EPS could land above the analysts' average estimate by 1.6%, with an estimated chance of an EPS beat of 75.0% based on the last 4 quarters. The model shrinks the median recent surprise toward zero and uses a neutral prior for beat frequency; this small sample is a reference estimate, not company guidance.
Kimberly-Clark's record against estimates
Kimberly-Clark reported EPS above the analysts' average estimate in 4 of the last 4 quarters. Last quarter, EPS of $2.12 compared with an estimate of $2.01, above it by 5.7%.
Profit is lagging sales
Revenue growth is rising while profits and cash are falling. The twelve-month revenue growth rate was 0.7%, up 0.6 percentage points on the rate a quarter earlier. The trailing operating margin was 15.2%, down 1.0 percentage points from a year earlier; the trailing gross margin was 36.8% and the trailing net margin was 11.8%. Net income over the twelve months was $2.0 billion, which fell 19.5% on the year before. Operating cash flow over the twelve months was $3.3 billion, up 16.1% on the year before, but capital spending of $1.5 billion, or 9.1% of revenue, left free cash flow at $1.8 billion, down 13.4% on the year before. The free-cash-flow margin was 11.0%, down 1.8 percentage points from a year earlier. The average diluted share count fell 0.4% over the year.
Against its own history, the free-cash-flow margin of 11.0% is higher than 50% of past quarterly readings, which have ranged from 6.0% to 20.2%. The operating margin of 15.2% is higher than 71% of past readings, which have ranged from 6.0% to 18.7%. The twelve-month revenue growth rate of 0.7% is higher than 43% of past readings, which have ranged from −29.6% to 14.5%.
Questions this report will answer
The report will answer whether the rise in revenue growth continues, whether results land above or below the analysts' expectations set out above, and whether margins hold at the trailing levels described above.
The value hinges on margins more than growth
In our model, growth 5 percentage points lower would lower the value by 30.9%, and growth 5 percentage points higher would raise it by 40.6%. A free-cash-flow margin 1 percentage point lower would lower it by 10.1%.
