Kimberly-Clark Highlights Generational Value Creation Opportunity at 2026 CAGNY Conference
Rhea-AI Summary
Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ: KMB) presented at the 2026 CAGNY Conference, describing its Powering Care transformation and how the company plans to create generational value via the pending acquisition of Kenvue.
Highlights include innovation-led growth (innovation drove >75% of 2025 volume-plus-mix growth), market-share gains in two-thirds of country/category combos, and sustained productivity with gross productivity in the ~6% of cost of goods sold range over the past two years.
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Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
KMB is up 2.21% with peers mixed: KVUE +1.83%, CHD +3.26%, CL +0.30% vs EL -0.35%, UL -0.92%, indicating a partial sector tailwind with some stock-specific enthusiasm.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 29 | Acquisition approval | Positive | -0.9% | Shareholders at both firms overwhelmingly approved the Kenvue acquisition structure. |
| Jan 27 | Dividend increase | Positive | -0.5% | Quarterly dividend raised to $1.28 per share, extending a 54-year increase streak. |
| Jan 27 | Earnings results | Positive | -0.5% | Q4 and 2025 results showed organic growth and strong adjusted profit and EPS gains. |
| Jan 15 | Brand philanthropy | Positive | +1.3% | Huggies pledged large diaper donations, reinforcing brand reach and social commitment. |
| Dec 12 | Earnings date set | Neutral | -0.3% | Company scheduled and outlined logistics for Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings release. |
Recent fundamentally positive and shareholder-friendly news (earnings, dividend hike, Kenvue vote) often saw mildly negative next-day moves, while brand/philanthropy news drew a positive reaction.
Over the past few months, Kimberly-Clark has focused on transformation and portfolio evolution. On Jan 27, 2026, it reported Q4 and full‑year 2025 results with organic sales growth, higher adjusted operating profit and EPS, alongside 2026 growth expectations. The same day it announced a dividend increase, extending a 54-year streak. On Jan 29, 2026, shareholders overwhelmingly approved the Kenvue acquisition. Earlier, a major Huggies donation campaign highlighted brand strength. Today’s CAGNY presentation reiterates this transformation and Kenvue-driven value narrative.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights Kimberly-Clark’s Powering Care transformation and frames the pending Kenvue acquisition as a long-term value opportunity. Management emphasizes innovation, market share resilience across about two-thirds of country/category combinations, and gross productivity of 6% of cost of goods sold over two years. Recent history includes strong 2025 financial results, a dividend increase, and shareholder approval of the Kenvue deal. Investors may monitor execution on innovation, productivity, and integration milestones over the next three years.
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
"For more than 150 years, Kimberly-Clark has been there for people at their most important moments, with consumer-inspired innovation that creates deep connections through the essential stages of their lives," said Mike Hsu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kimberly-Clark. "Through our Powering Care transformation, we have fundamentally repositioned our business to drive brand love, create lifetime bonds with consumers and deliver value for shareholders. Our durable growth engine has helped us deliver industry-leading results in our core business, and we look forward to applying our proven playbook to Kenvue to accelerate our momentum and realize a generational value creation opportunity."
Since launching Powering Care in 2024, Kimberly-Clark has delivered solid volume-plus-mix led growth, with market share up or even in two-thirds of its country/category combinations over the past two years. Today's presentation details how Kimberly-Clark intends to sustain and accelerate this momentum, including:
- Science Serving Consumers is Our Competitive Advantage: Through pioneering, category-bending innovation, Kimberly-Clark is meeting well-defined consumer needs with science-backed solutions that are redefining top-tier performance in personal care. The company's R&D organization has been re-wired to deliver at speed and scale across markets and segments to help drive profitable, innovation-led growth and elevate Kimberly-Clark's categories. As a result, Kimberly-Clark's pipeline is the strongest in the company's history. In 2025, innovation contributed to more than
75% of Kimberly-Clark's volume-plus-mix led growth and its future pipeline is designed to drive even greater incremental growth while delivering the best products at the lowest cost over the next three years. - Building Brand Love: Kimberly-Clark's holistic blueprint for growth and building brand love with best-in-class creative and digital capabilities are driving the company's ability to out-market and out-activate the competition. Kimberly-Clark is driving growth in users, usage and benefits across its portfolio, and with Kenvue's iconic consumer health brands, the company will be uniquely positioned to benefit from demographic trends in baby care, women's health and active aging, which are projected to grow at mid-to-high single digit rates over time.
- Accelerating Growth Through Execution: Kimberly-Clark's fast and agile Powering Care operating model has reshaped how cross-functional teams collaborate. With a culture of operating excellence and a relentless focus on delivering the best product at the lowest cost, Kimberly-Clark is accelerating growth and driving broad-based execution in key markets while significantly improving productivity, highlighted by its delivery of gross productivity in the
6% of cost of goods sold range for the past two years. The company is well positioned to apply its playbook to realize the value creation opportunity from its acquisition of Kenvue.
Supplemental Materials and Live Webcast
The presentation will be available in the Investor Relations Section of the Kimberly-Clark website. A live webcast of management's remarks will begin at 11:00am EST / 10:00am CT and an archived replay of Kimberly-Clark's remarks will be available following the event through the same website.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries and territories. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, Goodnites, Intimus, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 70 countries. Our company's purpose is to deliver Better Care for a Better World. We are committed to using sustainable practices designed to support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and enable our business to thrive for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and learn more about the company's more than 150-year history of innovation, visit the Kimberly-Clark website.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain matters contained in this communication, including our plans and anticipated benefits regarding the pending transaction with Kenvue, the impact of the proposed transaction on K-C's and Kenvue's business and future financial and operating results and prospects, expectations regarding growth initiatives, innovations, marketing and other contingencies in connection with the proposed transaction or otherwise, and the closing date for the proposed transaction, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the
The assumptions used as a basis for the forward-looking statements include many estimates that depend on many factors outside of K-C's control, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties around the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, including circumstances requiring a party to pay the other party a termination fee pursuant to the merger agreement, the risk that the conditions to the completion of the proposed transaction (including regulatory approvals) are not satisfied in a timely manner or at all, the possibility that competing offers or transaction proposals may be made, the risks arising from the integration of the K-C and Kenvue businesses, the uncertainty of rating agency actions, the risk that the anticipated benefits and synergies of the proposed transaction may not be realized when expected or at all and that the proposed transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, the risk of unexpected costs or expenses resulting from the proposed transaction, the risk of litigation related to the proposed transaction, including resulting expense or delay, the risks related to disruption to ongoing business operations and diversion of management's time as a result of the proposed transaction, the risk that the proposed transaction may have an adverse effect on the ability of K-C to retain key personnel, customers and suppliers, the risk that the credit ratings of the combined company decline following the proposed transaction, the risk that the announcement or the consummation of the proposed transaction has a negative effect on the market price of the capital stock of K-C or on K-C's operating results, the risk of product liability litigation or government or regulatory action, including related to product liability claims, the risk of product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action, risks relating to inflation and other economic factors, such as interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations, government trade or similar regulatory actions (including current and potential trade and tariff actions and other constraints on trade affecting the countries where K-C or Kenvue operate and the resulting negative impacts on our supply chain, commodity costs, and consumer spending), natural disasters, acts of war, terrorism, catastrophes, pandemics, epidemics, or other disease outbreaks, the prices and availability of K-C's or Kenvue's raw materials, manufacturing difficulties or delays or supply chain disruptions, disruptions in the capital and credit markets, counterparty defaults (including customers, suppliers and financial institutions with which K-C or Kenvue do business), impairment of goodwill and intangible assets and projections of operating results and other factors that may affect impairment testing, changes in customer preferences, severe weather conditions, regional instabilities and hostilities, potential competitive pressures on selling prices for K-C and Kenvue products, energy costs, general economic and political conditions globally and in the markets in which K-C and Kenvue do business (including the related responses of consumers, customers and suppliers on sanctions issued by the U.S., the European Union, Russia or other countries), the ability to maintain key customer relationships, competition, including technological advances, new products, and intellectual property attained by competitors, challenges inherent in new product research and development, uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products and digital capabilities, challenges to intellectual property protections including counterfeiting, the ability of K-C to successfully execute business development strategy and other strategic plans, changes to applicable laws and regulations and other requirements imposed by stakeholders, as well as changes in behavior and spending patterns of consumers, could affect the realization of these estimates.
Additional information and factors concerning these risks, uncertainties and assumptions can be found in K-C's filings with the SEC, including the risk factors discussed in K-C's most recent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as updated by their Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, the Form S-4 and future filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date hereof and K-C does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, or any other information in this communication, as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, or to correct any inaccuracies or omissions in them which become apparent. All forward-looking statements in this communication are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation
FAQ
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