Kimberly-Clark Corp., the multinational personal care corporation whose brands include Kleenex, Huggies, and Cottonelle, has reported encouraging first-quarter results that exceeded expectations, prompting the company to raise its full-year profit outlook. In premarket trading on Tuesday, the company’s shares rose by 0.8% towards a one-year high. Kimberly-Clark’s net income amounted to $566 million, or $1.67 a share, which is an improvement on the previous year’s figure of $523 million or $1.55 a share. This places the earnings per share above the FactSet consensus estimate of $1.32. Sales for the quarter grew by 2.0% to $5.20 billion, surpassing the FactSet consensus of $5.06 billion.
This strong performance is primarily the result of the company’s efforts to implement pricing and revenue growth management initiatives aimed at offsetting inflation and the potential negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A 10% increase in pricing and favorable product mix helped to counterbalance a 5% decline in volume. Kimberly-Clark’s performance highlights its ability to adapt effectively to a challenging market environment, characterized by inflationary pressures and disruptions caused by the pandemic. Overall, the company appears well-positioned for growth as the global economy continues to recover.
The positive results of Kimberly-Clark’s revenue growth strategies are further reflected in the company’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), which increased by 111.1% to $868 million compared to the previous year’s figure of $804 million. The company’s EBIT margin also rose to 16.7% from 15.9% a year ago.
From a geographic perspective, the company’s North American operations experienced growth across all major categories, including personal care, consumer tissue, and K-C Professional. Moreover, its performance in developing and emerging markets, such as Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa, remained solid, with gains in personal care and consumer tissue more than offsetting sluggish results in the K-C Professional segment.
Looking ahead, Kimberly-Clark has revised its full-year 2023 outlook, as it now expects adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $7.35 to $7.60, compared to the previous guidance of $7.30 to $7.55. The company also anticipates sales growth of 1% to 2%, thanks in part to pricing initiatives and favorable product mix. According to CEO Michael Hsu, the company is “encouraged by our performance in the first quarter and remain confident in our strategic plans to accelerate growth in the future.”
The strong quarterly results come at a critical time for Kimberly-Clark, as it continues to navigate the various challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges include managing increased demand for certain products, such as cleaning and sanitation items, as well as adapting its production and supply chain to meet changing consumer needs.
To cope with these challenges, the company has introduced various measures aimed at ensuring a safe working environment for its employees and maintaining a stable supply of products. These measures range from enforcing strict health and safety protocols at its facilities to implementing advanced technology and data analytics to optimize its manufacturing operations.
Additionally, the company has displayed commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability goals through various initiatives. For example, it recently launched its 2030 Ambition project, which aims to reduce its environmental footprint by 50% and increase its positive social impact. As part of this project, the company has set targets for sourcing renewable energy, improving water efficiency, and promoting responsible and circular waste management solutions.
Kimberly-Clark’s strong performance in the first quarter of 2023 underlines the success of its pricing and revenue growth management strategies, as well as its efforts to adapt effectively to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a revised full-year outlook projecting even better results, the company appears well-positioned for continued growth in the future.