Kimberly-Clark Guides 2026 Organic Sales Growth Below Category Average
KMB is trading near its 52-week low of $92.42 (9.1% above the low).
Summary
Kimberly-Clark told investors it expects 2026 organic sales growth to run about 100 basis points below the weighted average category growth in the categories and countries where it competes, while guiding 2026 adjusted EPS from continuing operations up high-single digits constant-currency. That organic sales outlook is a direct admission of share loss, not just soft end markets — the company is ceding ground to rivals. For the third quarter, it sees adjusted EPS of $1.70, sales of $4.13 billion and organic sales down 1.3%. The guidance lands on top of the full-year outlook cut disclosed with Q2 results on August 4, when adjusted EPS was guided lower despite a 10.4% Q2 gain. Management is simultaneously absorbing the $40 billion Kenvue acquisition, which cleared the European Commission on October 13 and Australia's ACCC in early September, and is mid-way through $7 billion of Kenvue note exchange offers that drew 90.2% early tender participation. The integration and financing load makes any underlying share erosion harder to fix quickly.
At the time of this announcement, KMB was trading at $100.87 on NASDAQ in the Manufacturing sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $33.1B. The 52-week trading range was $92.42 to $123.09. This news item was assessed with negative market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10. Source: Dow Jones Newswires.