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Looking up the ticker with the regulator···
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Kimberly Clark Corp.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
Signals scattered
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3 of 5 met · composite in line with peers
Business quality, valuation against the sector, and position in the 52-week range — whether they line up or not.
Mixed signals
Profitability
3/4
Debt & liquidity
1/3
Efficiency
0/2
Capital returns at Kimberly Clark Corp. run well ahead of the sector: ROE of 172.6% sits +473% above the sector median of 30.1%, and operating margin of 14.3% exceeds the sector median of 12.2% by +17%. Those numbers describe a business that converts sales into profit efficiently — yet the F-Score of 4/9 points to mixed signals, with the efficiency sub-score at zero and the balance-sheet sub-score weak. P/B of 24.4× runs +344% above the sector median of 5.5×, so the market already prices in the quality premium. Consensus and the realized track record are broadly aligned, but SEC filings show weak earnings growth, and the most recent quarter came in -19.6% below the prior year — the last report missed consensus by a meaningful margin. A composite of 48/100 against the sector median captures the tension: strong profitability, soft growth, and a price that leaves little room for further disappointment.
| Ticker | Name | F-Score | ROE | Revenue YoY | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | Colgate-Palmolive | 5/9 | 1 603% |
Quarter-by-quarter classification · a retrospective read by the current logic · not a price forecast
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. The method did not see these quarters in real time; this is the current logic applied to past reports.
The market prices in earnings growth; analyst sentiment is steady; has mostly beaten consensus.
Price against next year's expected earnings. The forward P/E already carries analyst optimism — read it alongside the “Versus consensus” line.
A forward P/E below the current one means the market expects earnings to grow; above it, to fall. The historical growth is realized figures from SEC filings, not a forecast.
The three-month change in the share of positive analyst ratings. This is sentiment, not an earnings-estimate revision, and not a call to act.
When Q3 2026 results land on October 28, track revenue year over year and operating margin against the current 12.2% sector median. The F-Score's efficiency block scored 0/2, so pay particular attention to asset turnover and any commentary on working capital discipline.
Pull the most recent 10-K on SEC EDGAR and focus on the leverage and liquidity section — KMB scored 1/3 there. Cross-reference management's discussion of debt structure and cash conversion against the FCF growth figure of 2.66%, which sits well below the sector median.
From the alphabetical same-sector table in section 06, pick two or three companies yourself and line up one metric — P/B or ROIC are natural candidates given KMB's P/B of 5.50× and ROIC of 17.8% relative to sector medians. No single name in that table carries a ranking, so the comparison is yours to frame.
Steps you can check yourself, based on the figures in this brief.
Piotroski F-Score: nine binary tests of financial strength from the annual report. A ✓ marks a test passed, a dot (·) a test failed.
Over 4 years: +8%+49%-9%-35%
Over 4 years: 2.212.771.972.05
Over 4 years: +4%-15%-2%-2%
The context on the right shows how each figure compares with the sector median. The trend below tracks the change over recent fiscal years.
Beat consensus in 6 of 8 recent quarters — the company clears estimates regularly (consensus is often set conservatively).
Last quarter's EPS against consensus, plus the estimated date of the next report.
| +1% |
| 16% |
| COST | Costco | 7/9 | 31% | +8% | 4% |
| GIS | General Mills | 5/9 | -1% | -5% | 5% |
| HSY | Hershey | 4/9 | 19% | +4% | 12% |
| KMB | Kimberly Clark Corp. | 4/9 | 173% | -2% | 14% |
| KO | Coca-Cola | 6/9 | 46% | +2% | 29% |
| KR | Kroger | 6/9 | 14% | +0% | 1% |
| MDLZ | Mondelez | 6/9 | 9% | +6% | 9% |
| MO | Altria | 6/9 | — | -3% | 43% |
| PEP | PepsiCo | 5/9 | 43% | +2% | 12% |
| PG | Procter & Gamble | 6/9 | 30% | +3% | 23% |
| PM | Philip Morris | 7/9 | — | +7% | 37% |
| SYY | Sysco | 6/9 | 99% | +3% | 4% |
| TGT | Target | 6/9 | 24% | -2% | 5% |
| WMT | Walmart | 7/9 | 23% | +5% | 4% |
A sample of 15 companies in the sector including the target, alphabetical, unranked. Data from the latest SEC annual reports.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
A simplified retrospective read: no analyst forecast (not available historically); the source is the annual report as of the date, so neighbouring quarters can rest on the same data. Quarters with the same classification in a row are merged into one row — each row is one change in the read, not a separate quarter. One ticker is an illustration of the classification logic, not statistics. How we calculate →
The last few quarters are recent context, not a fixed rate. Consensus for near quarters is set low, so companies clear it routinely; over long horizons the forecasts run the other way, too high.
A description of what the market and analysts expect. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. Analyst forecasts run systematically optimistic over long horizons — read them with that discount.