Kimberly-Clark Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines (KMB)

Kimberly-Clark Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB ) reported earnings on April 20. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Kimberly-Clark beat expectations on revenues and earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew and GAAP earnings per share increased significantly.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
Kimberly-Clark recorded revenue of $5.24 billion. The 11 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see revenue of $5.05 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 4.2% higher than the prior-year quarter's $5.03 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.24. The 14 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $1.17 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $1.18 for Q1 were 37% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.86 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 33.2%, 250 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 14.0%, 220 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 8.9%, 190 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $5.23 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.28.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $20.99 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.12.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 985 members out of 1,038 rating the stock outperform, and 53 members rating it underperform. Among 322 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 314 give Kimberly-Clark a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Kimberly-Clark is hold, with an average price target of $73.46.

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Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Kimberly-Clark. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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