Kimberly Clark Corporation

Company Description

Kimberly Clark, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets health and hygiene products worldwide. The company was founded in 1872 and has a market cap of $24 billion.

Kimberly Clark took a beating last year in the weak market, but has rebounded very nicely over the last 3 months with the market, helped by solid second-quarter results, reported on July 23.

Second-Quarter Results

Sales were down 6% from last year to $4.73 billion, but earnings came in 17 cents ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate at $1.16 per share.

The company said that its results were helped by higher prices for its products and lower energy prices. Kimberly Clark did mention however that private label competitors have effected the landscape as value driven consumers hunt for bargains.

Estimates Advance

Since the solid quarter, analysts have raised their estimates, with the current year up 10 cents in the last 7 days to $4.21 per share. The next-year estimate is pegged at $4.86, a 15% growth projection.

Valuation

Based upon the current-year estimates, this stock has a P/E multiple of 13.5X, a discount to the overall market with a very nice growth projection.

The Chart

Shares of KMB have rebounded nicely after slumping late last year, up more 50% in just the last 3 months. Take a look below.