The Dividend Daily

Personal care product maker Kimberly Clark Corp (KMB) released its fourth quarter earnings report on Friday, posting an adjusted earnings per share than exceed Wall Street expectations.

The Dallas, Texas-based company said its quarterly profit came in at $267 million, or 68 cents per share, down from $401 million, or $1.01 per share, earned a year earlier.

The company said that the lower net income was due to an increase in marketing and research and development expenses, which increased +11.4% over the previous year. KMB is making a push to better compete with its larger competitors.

Adjusted earnings per share was $1.37, up from $1.28 a year earlier. According to Thomson Reuters, this topped the analyst consensus of $1.35 per share.

The company’s sales were up +2.5% over the previous year, coming in at $5.31 billion. Analysts were expecting sales to be $5.19 billion.

The Kleenex tissue maker is expecting 2013 adjusted EPS to be between $5.50 and $5.65, up 5 to 8 percent over 2012. Analysts are expecting 2013 EPS to be $5.58.

Kimberly Clark shares were up $1.41, or +1.63%, during pre-market trading. The stock is up +12.27% over the past year.

The Bottom Line
We have been recommending shares of Kimberly Clark (KMB) since July 23, 2009, when the stock was trading at $54.46. The company has a 3.42% dividend yield, based on last night’s closing stock price of $86.58.

Kimberly Clark Corp (KMB) is recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.