WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB), a consumer health and personal care products maker, on Thursday reported a sharp increase in third-quarter profit, driven largely by a $1.4 billion gain from the completion of its International Family Care and Professional (IFP) business transaction.
However, earnings from continuing operations faced pressure from weaker organic sales, higher costs and disruption in China. The company reaffirmed its 2026 standalone outlook following the completion of its acquisition of Kenvue earlier this week.
Net income attributable to Kimberly-Clark surged to $1.79 billion, or $5.37 per share, from $446 million, or $1.34 per share, in the year-ago quarter. The latest quarter included a net benefit of $3.67 per share from certain items, primarily the IFP transaction gain.
Excluding special items, adjusted earnings per share attributable to Kimberly-Clark declined 6.6% to $1.70 from $1.82. On a continuing-operations basis, earnings per share rose to $1.19 from $1.01, while adjusted earnings per share increased 17.2% to $1.70.
Net sales edged down 0.4% to $4.13 billion, while organic sales declined 1.3%. The decline reflected an approximately 270-basis-point headwind from disruption in China, along with retailer inventory movements in North America.
By segment, North America sales increased 0.9% to $2.74 billion, while International Personal Care sales declined 2.8% to $1.40 billion. International Personal Care operating profit fell 32.7%.
Looking ahead, Kimberly-Clark continues to expect 2026 organic sales growth to be approximately 100 basis points below weighted-average category growth, estimated at around 1.7%. Adjusted operating profit is expected to grow at a mid-single-digit rate on a constant-currency basis, while adjusted earnings from continuing operations is projected to increase at a high-single-digit rate.
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