Kimberly Clark Corp Posts Q1 Results; Beats Earnings Estimates; Revenue Misses (KMB)

Kimberly Clark Corp (KMB) reported higher first quarter earnings on Monday, which came in above analysts’ views.

KMB’s Earnings in Brief

KMB posted Q1 earnings of $538 million, or $1.41 per share, up from $531 million, or $1.36 per share, a year ago. Excluding special items, earnings were $1.48 per share, above analysts’ estimate of $1.47 per share. Revenue fell to $5.278 billion from $5.318 billion reported last year and missed analysts’ estimate of $5.32 billion. Looking forward, KMB expects to see FY2014 earnings between $6.00 and $6.20 per share, while analysts expect to see $6.11 per share in earnings.

CEO Commentary

CEO and chairman Thomas J. Falk commented: “We delivered a solid first quarter with good organic sales growth and cost savings.  We also launched a number of product innovations and made further progress with targeted growth initiatives.  We continue to allocate capital in shareholder-friendly ways, as our first quarter dividends and share repurchases totaled three-quarters of a billion dollars.  And although we face continued headwinds from currency exchange rates and cost inflation, we’re maintaining our full-year guidance for adjusted earnings per share.  We continue to be optimistic about the opportunities we have to drive profitable growth and generate attractive returns to shareholders.”

KMB’s Dividend

KMB paid its last 84 cent dividend on April 2. We expect the company to declare its next dividend in May.

Stock Performance

Kimberly Clark shares were up 71 cents, or 0.63%, during pre-market trading Monday. The stock is up 7.74% YTD.

KMB Dividend Snapshot

As of Market Close on April 17, 2014

Click here to see the complete history of KMB dividends.