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0000055785
KIMBERLY CLARK CORP
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2025-11-02
2025-11-02
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13
or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report: November 2, 2025
(Date of earliest
event reported)
KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant
as specified in its charter)
| Delaware |
|
1-225 |
|
39-0394230 |
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation) |
|
(Commission File
Number) |
|
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
P.O.
Box 619100
Dallas,
TX
75261-9100
(Address of Principal
Executive Offices)
(Zip code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (972)
281-1200
Check the appropriate
box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:
| x |
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| |
|
| ¨ |
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| |
|
| ¨ |
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| |
|
| ¨ |
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title
of each class |
|
Trading
Symbol(s) |
|
Name of
each exchange
on which registered |
| Common Stock, $1.25 Par Value |
|
KMB |
|
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR
§230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).
Emerging
growth company ¨
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period
for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
| Item 1.01 | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
Merger Agreement
On November 2, 2025, Kimberly-Clark
Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“K-C”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”)
with Kenvue Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Kenvue”), Vesta Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly
owned subsidiary of K-C (“First Merger Sub”), and Vesta Sub II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct
wholly owned subsidiary of K-C (“Second Merger Sub”), pursuant to which, among other things, (i) First Merger Sub will
merge with and into Kenvue (the “First Merger”), with Kenvue surviving as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of
K-C (the “Initial Surviving Company”) (the time the First Merger becomes effective being the “First Effective
Time”), and (ii) immediately following the First Merger, and as part of the same overall transaction as the First Merger, the
Initial Surviving Company will merge with and into Second Merger Sub (the “Second Merger” and, together with the First
Merger, the “Mergers”), with Second Merger Sub surviving the Second Merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of K-C
(the “Final Surviving Company”) (the time the Second Merger becomes effective being the “Second Effective
Time”).
The board of directors of each
of K-C and Kenvue (the “K-C Board” and the “Kenvue Board”, respectively) has unanimously approved
the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including, in the case of K-C, the Mergers, the issuance of shares of
K-C Common Stock (as defined below) as Merger Consideration (as defined below).
Merger Consideration
At the First Effective Time,
pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, each share of Kenvue common stock, par value $0.01 per share
(the “Kenvue Common Stock”), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the First Effective Time (other than shares
of Kenvue Common Stock that (x) are owned by K-C or Kenvue or any wholly owned subsidiary of K-C or Kenvue (or are held in treasury by
Kenvue) or (y) are held by any Kenvue stockholder who is entitled to demand and properly demands appraisal of such shares pursuant to,
and who complies in all respects with, Section 262 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware) will be converted into
the right to receive (i) 0.14625 shares (the “Exchange Ratio”) of K-C common stock, par value $1.25 per share (the
“K-C Common Stock” and the shares of K-C Common Stock to be issued in connection with the First Merger, the “Stock
Consideration”), plus (ii) $3.50 in cash (the “Cash Consideration” and, together with the Stock
Consideration, the “Merger Consideration”).
At the Second Effective Time,
by virtue of the Second Merger and without any action on the part of any of the parties, the Initial Surviving Company or the equityholders
thereof, (i) each share of common stock of the Initial Surviving Company issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Second Effective
Time will automatically be canceled and cease to exist without any conversion or payment therefor and (ii) each unit of Second Merger
Sub issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Second Effective Time will remain issued and outstanding and will represent validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable units of the Final Surviving Company, which will constitute the only outstanding units of the Final
Surviving Company immediately following the Second Effective Time.
The shares of K-C Common Stock
to be issued in connection with the First Merger will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”). No fractional
shares of K-C Common Stock will be issued in the Mergers, and holders of Kenvue Common Stock otherwise entitled to receive a fractional
share of K-C Common Stock will receive a cash payment, without interest, in lieu thereof, as specified in the Merger Agreement.
In connection with the issuance
of the Stock Consideration by K-C, as promptly as reasonably practicable following the date of the Merger Agreement, K-C and Kenvue will
jointly prepare and cause to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a registration statement
on Form S-4 (the “Form S-4”), which will include the joint proxy statement of K-C and Kenvue for their respective meeting
of stockholders relating to the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.
Treatment of Equity Awards
Under
the terms of the Merger Agreement, each Kenvue equity award, consisting of stock options, restricted
stock units and performance stock units, that is outstanding immediately prior to the First Effective Time will be converted into an equivalent
K-C equity award, including with respect to vesting conditions (including in connection with a qualifying termination of employment),
except that performance stock units will be converted into solely time-vesting restricted stock units. The number of shares of K-C Common
Stock subject to each converted equity award will be equal to the number of shares of Kenvue Common
Stock subject to the award, with the number of shares of Kenvue Common Stock subject to any performance stock unit determined based on
the greater of target and actual performance measured through the First Effective Time, multiplied by the Equity Award Exchange Ratio,
and the exercise price of each converted stock option will be equal to the exercise price of the Kenvue stock option divided by the Equity
Award Exchange Ratio.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, each restricted stock unit of Kenvue that is or becomes vested at the First Effective
Time will instead be converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration.
The
“Equity Award Exchange Ratio” is a fraction, (a) the numerator of which
is the sum of the Cash Consideration and the product of (x) the Exchange Ratio and (y) the closing price of K-C Common Stock on the
trading day immediately prior to the date of the First Effective Time (the “K-C
Closing Price”) and (b) the denominator of which is the K-C Closing Price.
Representations, Warranties and Covenants
The Merger Agreement contains
customary representations and warranties of each of K-C and Kenvue relating to their respective businesses, financial statements and public
filings, among other matters, in each case generally subject to customary qualifications. Additionally, the Merger Agreement provides
for customary pre-closing covenants of each of K-C and Kenvue, including: (i) to conduct its business in the ordinary course (subject
to certain exceptions); (ii) to cooperate and use reasonable best efforts with respect to seeking regulatory approvals, subject to certain
specified limitations; (iii) to hold a meeting of its stockholders to obtain the requisite stockholder approvals contemplated by the Merger
Agreement, as applicable; (iv) not to solicit proposals relating to any alternative business combination or acquisition transactions;
and (v) subject to certain exceptions, not to enter into any discussions concerning, or provide confidential information in connection
with, any such alternative business combination or acquisition transactions.
In addition, K-C has agreed
to take all necessary actions to cause, effective as of the First Effective Time, the K-C Board to consist of three Kenvue designees,
with the remainder consisting of existing members of the K-C Board as of immediately prior to the First Effective Time.
Notwithstanding the restrictions
related to alternative business combination or acquisition transactions, prior to obtaining the approval of their respective stockholders,
each of Kenvue and K-C may under certain circumstances provide non-public information to, and participate in discussions or negotiations
with, third parties with respect to any unsolicited alternative business combination or acquisition proposal that the Kenvue Board or
the K-C Board, as applicable, has determined constitutes or would reasonably be expected to result in a Superior Kenvue Proposal or a
Superior Kimberly-Clark Proposal, as applicable. A “Superior Kenvue Proposal” or a “Superior Kimberly-Clark Proposal”
is a bona fide written Kenvue Takeover Proposal or Kimberly-Clark Takeover Proposal (as applicable and each as defined in the Merger Agreement, with
references to “20%” in the definition thereof deemed to be references to “50%”) made after the date of the Merger
Agreement that did not result from a breach of the relevant provisions of the Merger Agreement that the Kenvue Board or the K-C Board,
as applicable, has determined in its good faith judgment (after consultation with its outside legal counsel and financial advisor) (i)
is likely to be consummated in accordance with its terms (taking into account all legal, financial, regulatory and timing aspects of the
proposal and the party making the proposal) and (ii) if consummated, would result in a transaction more favorable to such party’s
stockholders from a financial point of view than the Transactions (as defined in the Merger Agreement), after taking into account all
of the terms and conditions of, and the likelihood of completion of, such offer and of the Merger Agreement (including any proposed changes
thereto and the time likely to be required to consummate the Kenvue Takeover Proposal or the K-C Takeover Proposal, as applicable).
Prior to obtaining the relevant
stockholder approval, the Kenvue Board or the K-C Board, as applicable, may change its recommendation to its stockholders in connection
with the Mergers, subject to complying with certain notice and other specified conditions contained in the Merger Agreement, including
giving the other party an opportunity to propose revisions to the terms of the Merger Agreement during a match right period. Notwithstanding
a change in the recommendation by the Kenvue Board or the K-C Board, unless the Merger Agreement is terminated by the other party, such
party is still required to convene the meeting of its stockholders to obtain the requisite stockholder approvals contemplated by the Merger
Agreement.
Conditions to the Mergers
The completion of the Mergers
is subject to the satisfaction or (to the extent permitted by law) waiver of certain conditions, including: (i) the approval by holders
of Kenvue Common Stock of a proposal to adopt the Merger Agreement and by holders of K-C Common Stock of a proposal to approve the issuance
of the Stock Consideration; (ii) the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements
Act of 1976, as amended, and the receipt of certain other clearances, approvals and consents under certain applicable foreign antitrust
and regulatory laws; (iii) the absence of governmental restraints or prohibitions preventing, enjoining or prohibiting the consummation
of the Mergers; (iv) the effectiveness of the Form S-4 and the absence of any stop order or proceedings by the SEC; (v) the approval of
the Stock Consideration to be issued at the First Effective Time for listing on Nasdaq; (vi) the representations and warranties of K-C
and Kenvue being true and correct (subject to certain qualifications); and (vii) the performance in all material respects by the parties
of their respective obligations under the Merger Agreement.
Termination
The Merger Agreement
contains certain termination rights for the parties, including (i) termination by mutual written consent of Kenvue and K-C or (ii)
termination by either Kenvue or K-C if (a) the First Merger is not consummated on or before November 2, 2026 (the “Outside
Date”), subject to an automatic extension until May 3, 2027, under certain
circumstances for the purpose of obtaining certain regulatory approvals, (b) the requisite stockholder approvals of Kenvue or
K-C required in connection with the Mergers are not obtained at their respective stockholder meetings, (c) any legal restraint
having the effect of prohibiting the consummation of the Mergers having become final and nonappealable, (d) the other party has
breached its representations, warranties or covenants in the Merger Agreement, subject to certain qualifications or (e) prior to the
stockholder meeting of the other party, the K-C Board or the Kenvue Board, as applicable, has changed its recommendation in
connection with the Mergers, or has failed to make or reaffirm such recommendation in certain circumstances.
The Merger Agreement further
provides that, upon termination of the Merger Agreement, Kenvue or K-C, as the case may be, will pay to the other party a termination
fee equal to $1,136,000,000 in cash under certain specified circumstances, including (i) a termination of the Merger Agreement by K-C
or Kenvue because of a change in the recommendation of the K-C Board or the Kenvue Board in connection with the Mergers, or (ii) a termination
of the Merger Agreement by K-C or Kenvue because of a failure of the other party to obtain the requisite stockholder approvals contemplated
by the Merger Agreement, a material breach by the other party or because the Mergers are not consummated by the Outside Date (as subject
to extension), in each case, at a time when a third party has made or announced an intention to make an offer or proposal for an alternative
business combination transaction with respect to such party, and, within 12 months following such termination, such party enters into
a definitive agreement with respect to an alternative business combination transaction or consummates any alternative business combination
transaction.
The foregoing descriptions of
the Merger Agreement do not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement,
which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Important Statement Regarding
the Merger Agreement
The Merger Agreement contains
representations, warranties and covenants that the respective parties made to each other as of the date of such agreement or other specific
dates. The assertions embodied in those representations, warranties and covenants were made for purposes of the contract among the parties
and are subject to important qualifications and limitations agreed to by the parties in connection with negotiating such agreement. The
Merger Agreement has been attached to provide investors with information regarding its terms. It is not intended to provide any other
factual information about K-C or Kenvue or any other party to the Merger Agreement or any related agreement. In particular, the representations,
warranties and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement, which were made only for purposes of such agreement and as of specific dates,
were for the benefit of the parties to the Merger Agreement, may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties (including
being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the Merger Agreement
instead of establishing these matters as facts) and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that
differ from those applicable to investors and security holders. Investors and security holders are not third-party beneficiaries under
the Merger Agreement and should not rely on the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements, or any descriptions thereof, as
characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of any party to the Merger Agreement. Moreover, information concerning the
subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of the Merger Agreement, which subsequent information may
or may not be fully reflected in K-C’s or Kenvue’s public disclosures.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure
On November 3, 2025, KC and Kenvue issued a joint
press release announcing the entry into the Merger Agreement. A copy of the joint press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and
is incorporated by reference herein. Additionally, K-C posted to its website an investor presentation describing the Mergers, a copy of
which is attached as Exhibit 99.2 and is incorporated herein by reference.
The information
in this Item 7.01, including Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, is being furnished to the SEC and shall not be deemed “filed”
for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise
subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing made by K-C under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set
forth by a specific reference in such filing.
Bridge Facility Commitment Letter
On November 2, 2025, K-C and
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) executed a certain bridge loan facility commitment letter (the “Debt
Commitment Letter”), pursuant to which the Bank has committed to provide bridge financing (the “Bridge Facility”)
in an amount of $7.7 billion to K-C to fund the Cash Consideration and to pay fees and expenses related to the transactions contemplated
by the Merger Agreement (the “Required Amounts”), on the terms and conditions set forth therein. The Bridge Facility
will be available to be drawn upon in the event that K-C has not prior to or concurrently with the consummation of the Mergers received
proceeds from one or more debt capital markets offerings, loan facility transactions or specified dispositions sufficient to pay the Required
Amounts. The obligations of the Bank to provide the debt financing in accordance with the Debt Commitment Letter are subject to conditions
customary for transactions of this type.
Important Information for Investors and Stockholders
This Current Report on Form 8-K (this “Current
Report”) does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange any securities or a solicitation
of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. It does not constitute a prospectus or prospectus equivalent document. No offering of securities
shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act.
This Current Report may be deemed to be
solicitation material in respect of the proposed transaction between K-C and Kenvue. In connection therewith, K-C and Kenvue intend
to file relevant materials with the SEC, including, among other filings, the Form S-4 in connection with the proposed issuance of
shares of K-C’s common stock pursuant to the proposed transaction that will include a joint proxy statement of K-C and Kenvue
that also constitutes a prospectus of K-C, and a definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus, which, after the registration
statement is declared effective by the SEC, will be mailed to stockholders of K-C and Kenvue seeking their approval of their
respective transaction-related proposals. INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF K-C AND KENVUE ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY THE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT AND THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS IN THEIR ENTIRETY
THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE
PROPOSED TRANSACTION, THE PARTIES TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND ANY SOLICITATION. This Current Report is not a substitute for the
registration statement, the joint proxy statement/prospectus or any other document that K-C or Kenvue may file with the SEC and send
to its stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of
the registration statement and the joint proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by K-C
or Kenvue through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by K-C will be
available free of charge on K-C’s website at kimberly-clark.com under the tab “Investors” and under the heading
“Financial” and subheading “SEC Filings.” Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Kenvue will be
available free of charge on Kenvue’s website at kenvue.com under the tab “Investors” and under the heading
“Financials & reports” and subheading “SEC filings.”
Certain Information Regarding Participants
K-C, Kenvue, and their respective directors
and executive officers and certain other members of management and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of
proxies from the stockholders of K-C and Kenvue in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and
executive officers of K-C is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which was filed with
the SEC on February 13, 2025, its proxy statement for its 2025 annual meeting, which was filed with the SEC on March 10, 2025, and
its Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025. Information about the directors and executive officers
of Kenvue is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2024, which was filed with the SEC on
February 24, 2025, its proxy statement for its 2025 annual meeting, which was filed with the SEC on April 9, 2025, and its Current
Reports on Form 8-K, which were filed with the SEC on May 8, 2025, June 24, 2025, July 14, 2025 and November 3, 2025. To the extent
holdings of K-C’s or Kenvue’s securities by its directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth
in such filings, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements
of Beneficial Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC, including the Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3, Statements
of Change in Ownership on Form 4 or Annual Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 5 filed with the SEC on: 5/2/2025, 5/2/2025,
5/2/2025, 5/2/2025,
5/2/2025, 5/2/2025,
5/2/2025, 5/2/2025,
5/2/2025, 5/2/2025,
5/27/2025, 5/27/2025,
5/27/2025, 5/27/2025,
5/27/2025, 5/27/2025,
5/27/2025, 5/27/2025,
6/2/2025, 6/4/2025,
8/1/2025, 8/1/2025,
8/4/2025, 9/10/2025,
9/24/2025, 10/1/2025,
10/1/2025, 10/1/2025,
10/1/2025, 10/3/2025
and 10/7/2025. Additional
information about the directors and executive officers of K-C and Kenvue and other information regarding the potential participants
in the proxy solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, which may,
in some cases, be different than those of K-C’s stockholders or Kenvue’s stockholders generally, will be contained in
the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. You
may obtain these documents (when they become available) free of charge through the website maintained by the SEC at
http://www.sec.gov and from K-C’s or Kenvue’s website as described above.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
Certain matters contained in this Current Report,
including projections as to the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, the impact of the proposed transaction on K-C’s
and Kenvue’s business and future financial and operating results and prospects, the amount and timing of synergies from the proposed
transaction, the terms and scope of the expected financing in connection with the proposed transaction, the aggregate amount of indebtedness
of the combined company following the closing of the proposed transaction, expectations regarding cash flow generation and the post-closing
capital structure, growth initiatives, innovations, marketing and other spending, net sales, anticipated currency rates and exchange risks,
effective tax rate and other contingencies in connection with the proposed transaction, 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 Exchange
Act, and are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of the management of K-C and Kenvue concerning future events impacting K-C
and Kenvue and are qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally. There can be no assurance
that these future events will occur as anticipated or that our results will be as estimated. Actual results could differ materially from
those currently anticipated due to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond K-C’s and Kenvue’s control.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update them. Some of these
forward-looking statements can be identified by words like “anticipate,” “approximately,” “believe,”
“continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,”
“may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “possible,” “predict,”
“project,” “target,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” or “would,” the
negative of these words, other terms of similar meaning or the use of future dates.
The assumptions used as a basis for the forward-looking
statements include many estimates that depend on many factors outside of K-C’s or Kenvue’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 stockholder and 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
and Kenvue to retain key personnel, customers and suppliers, the risk that the credit ratings of the combined company declines 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 and Kenvue or on K-C’s and Kenvue’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 and Kenvue 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 and Kenvue’s respective filings with the SEC, including the
risk factors discussed in K-C’s and Kenvue’s most recent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as updated by their Quarterly Reports
on Form 10-Q and future filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date hereof and neither
K-C nor Kenvue undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, or any other information in this Current Report, 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 Current Report are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits.
|
Exhibit
No. |
|
Description |
| 2.1 |
|
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 2, 2025, by and among Kenvue Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Vesta Sub I, Inc. and Vesta Sub II, LLC* |
| 99.1 |
|
Joint Press Release, dated as of November 3, 2025 |
| 99.2 |
|
Investor Presentation |
104 The cover page from K-C
Corporation’s Current Report on Form 8-K, formatted in Inline XBRL.
* The schedules to the Agreement and Plan of Merger have been omitted
from this filing pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. K-C agrees to furnish a supplemental copy of such schedules to the Securities
and Exchange Commission upon its request.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
Dated: November 3, 2025
| |
Kimberly-Clark Corporation |
| |
|
|
By: |
/s/ Grant B. McGee |
| |
|
Grant B. McGee |
| |
|
Senior Vice President and General Counsel |