Kimberly-Clark Corporation reported lower preliminary third-quarter sales but higher adjusted earnings per share, with the latter exceeding a $1.59 estimate Reuters cited as the company held its 2026 targets steady.
Net sales for the three months ended Sept. 30 were $4.134 billion, down 0.4% from $4.150 billion a year earlier. Organic sales fell 1.3%, according to an Oct. 15 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations rose to $1.70 from $1.45. The company said the preliminary figures are unaudited.
LSEG data showed analysts’ average sales forecast was $4.10 billion, Reuters reported. Reuters also cited a $1.59 adjusted earnings-per-share estimate. Adjusted operating profit was $677 million, compared with $683 million a year earlier. Kimberly-Clark shares rose 3% in premarket trading, Reuters reported.
The preliminary update did not change the company’s full-year 2026 guidance. For 2026, the company expects organic sales growth to trail the weighted average growth rate of its categories across its markets by about one percentage point. It said realized and potential effects from China social-media disruptions account for most of that gap.
The company projects adjusted operating profit to grow by a mid-single-digit percentage and adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations to increase by a high-single-digit percentage, both on a constant-currency basis. It expects adjusted earnings per share attributable to Kimberly-Clark to decline by a low-single-digit percentage, also on a constant-currency basis.
Kimberly-Clark plans to issue final third-quarter and nine-month results Nov. 5 at approximately 6:30 a.m. EST (11:30 UTC). An analyst Q&A is scheduled for 8 a.m. EST (13:00 UTC).
