Kimberly-Clark Corporation

What does Kimberly-Clark own?
Kimberly-Clark owns Kleenex, Huggies, Scott, Cottonelle, Viva, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Depend, and Poise. Upon completion of the Kenvue acquisition, the portfolio will also include Tylenol, Listerine, Band-Aid, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Zyrtec, and Johnson's. The international tissue business, including Andrex and Kimberly-Clark Professional outside North America, will transfer to the Suzano JV in mid-2026.

Is Kimberly-Clark publicly traded?
Yes. Kimberly-Clark trades on NASDAQ under the ticker KMB. The company is a component of the S&P 500 index and a Dividend Aristocrat with 50+ consecutive years of dividend increases.

Is Kimberly-Clark acquiring Kenvue?
Yes. On November 2, 2025, Kimberly-Clark announced a definitive merger agreement to acquire Kenvue for approximately $48.7 billion in cash and stock. Shareholders of both companies approved the transaction on January 29, 2026. The HSR waiting period expired on February 4, 2026. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2026, subject to foreign regulatory approvals. The combined company would generate approximately $32 billion in annual revenue.

What is Kimberly-Clark's revenue?
Kimberly-Clark reported FY2025 net sales of $16.4 billion, down 2.1% from the prior year due to the PPE divestiture and private label diaper exit. Organic sales grew 1.7%. Adjusted EPS was $7.53, up 3.2%. For 2026, the company expects organic sales growth in line to ahead of approximately 2% market growth.

Who owns Kleenex?
Kleenex is owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The brand was introduced in 1924 and has become one of the most recognized facial tissue brands globally, with the brand name genericized in many countries. Following the Suzano JV closing, Kleenex will be licensed to the joint venture for international use while remaining a Kimberly-Clark brand in North America.

Who owns Huggies diapers?
Huggies is owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The brand was launched in 1978 and competes directly with P&G's Pampers as one of the two dominant diaper brands in the United States.

What is the Kimberly-Clark Suzano joint venture?
The Kimberly-Clark Suzano joint venture is a $3.4 billion transaction announced on June 5, 2025, under which Suzano, the Brazilian pulp producer, will acquire a 51% interest in Kimberly-Clark's international tissue and professional business. Kimberly-Clark will retain 49%. The JV includes 22 manufacturing facilities in 14 countries and approximately 9,000 employees. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2026.

Who is the CEO of Kimberly-Clark?
Mike Hsu serves as Chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark. He has led the company since 2019 and is the architect of the Powering Care transformation strategy, which includes the Kenvue acquisition and the IFP Suzano JV.

Kimberly-Clark was founded in 1872 in Neenah, Wisconsin, by John A. Kimberly, Havilah Babcock, Charles B. Clark, and Frank C. Shattuck as a paper manufacturing company. The company's early business focused on producing newsprint and wrapping paper at mills along the Fox River in Wisconsin.

In 1914, the company developed Cellucotton, a creped cellulose wadding with five times the absorbency of cotton, produced from wood pulp. During World War I, the U.S. military used Cellucotton as a surgical dressing material. After the war, Kimberly-Clark launched Kotex sanitary napkins in 1920, creating one of the first modern feminine hygiene products.

In 1924, Kimberly-Clark introduced Kleenex, originally marketed as a cold cream remover. Consumer research in the early 1930s revealed that most purchasers were using Kleenex to blow their noses rather than remove cold cream. The company repositioned the product as a disposable handkerchief, transforming both the product and the category. Kleenex became one of the best-selling tissue products in the world.

The company entered the diaper market in 1978 with Huggies, competing directly with P&G's Pampers. Huggies differentiated through a fitted waistband design and has maintained a top-two position in the U.S. diaper market. Pull-Ups training pants, launched in 1989, created the training pants subcategory.

Kimberly-Clark acquired Scott Paper Company in 1995 for approximately $9.4 billion, bringing the Scott, Cottonelle, and Viva brands into the portfolio and making Kimberly-Clark the largest tissue company in the world. The company relocated its corporate headquarters from Wisconsin to Irving, Texas in the 1980s.

In 2024, Kimberly-Clark launched its "Powering Care" transformation strategy under CEO Mike Hsu. The strategy included the divestiture of the PPE (personal protective equipment) business globally, the exit of more than $650 million in U.S. private label diaper production contracts, and the sale of its Brazil tissue business. These actions reduced private label exposure from 4% of net sales to less than 1%.

On June 5, 2025, Kimberly-Clark announced a strategic partnership with Suzano, the Brazilian pulp producer, to form a joint venture for its international tissue and professional business (IFP). Suzano will acquire a 51% interest for approximately $1.7 billion in cash, valuing the business at approximately $3.4 billion. The JV includes 22 manufacturing facilities in 14 countries, approximately 9,000 employees, and generated approximately $3.3 billion in net sales in 2024. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2026.

On November 2, 2025, Kimberly-Clark announced a definitive merger agreement to acquire Kenvue for approximately $48.7 billion in cash and stock. The combined company would generate approximately $32 billion in annual revenue and $7 billion in adjusted EBITDA. Kimberly-Clark identified $1.9 billion in cost synergies and $500 million in revenue synergies. Shareholders of both companies approved the transaction on January 29, 2026. The HSR waiting period expired on February 4, 2026. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2026, subject to foreign regulatory approvals.

For FY2025, net sales were $16.4 billion, down 2.1% from the prior year, primarily due to a 2.9% negative impact from the PPE divestiture and private label diaper exit, plus 0.9% negative currency impact. Organic sales grew 1.7%, driven by a 2.5% increase in volume. Adjusted EPS was $7.53, up 3.2%.

Kimberly-Clark is a signatory to the Science Based Targets initiative and has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions aligned with a 1.5 degree Celsius pathway. The company's tissue products are manufactured primarily from wood pulp, making responsible forest sourcing a central sustainability consideration.

The company has committed to sourcing 100% of its fiber from certified or responsible sources and participates in the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) chain-of-custody certification frameworks. Kimberly-Clark has set targets for reducing virgin fiber use and increasing recycled content in select product lines.

The Suzano JV will transfer the international tissue business to the world's largest pulp producer, potentially improving the sustainability of the supply chain by integrating pulp production with tissue manufacturing. Suzano's expertise in fiber production and Kimberly-Clark's brand management capabilities are expected to reduce total delivered product costs and improve environmental efficiency.

Kimberly-Clark has faced consumer activist pressure regarding the use of old-growth forest fiber in tissue production, including campaigns from the Natural Resources Defense Council. The company has responded with commitments to increased recycled content and sustainable sourcing practices.

Water stewardship is a material issue given the company's tissue manufacturing operations, which require significant water inputs. Kimberly-Clark has set water reduction targets for its manufacturing facilities and invests in water-efficient production technologies.

Kimberly-Clark has been recognized as a Dividend Aristocrat, with more than 50 consecutive years of annual dividend increases. The company is a component of the S&P 500 index and is consistently included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.

The company has received CDP scores recognizing its climate transparency and target-setting. Kimberly-Clark's sustainability programs, including its responsible fiber sourcing commitments and water stewardship initiatives, have been acknowledged by environmental organizations and sustainability benchmarks.

Kimberly-Clark has faced environmental scrutiny over its forest fiber sourcing practices. Environmental groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council have campaigned against the use of virgin fiber from old-growth forests in tissue products. The company has responded with commitments to increase recycled content and source 100% of its fiber from certified or responsible sources.

The pending Kenvue acquisition has drawn regulatory scrutiny. Both companies' shareholders approved the transaction on January 29, 2026, and the HSR waiting period expired on February 4, 2026. The transaction remains subject to foreign regulatory approvals, which could require divestitures in markets where the combined company would have overlapping product categories.

The IFP Suzano JV has attracted regulatory review in multiple jurisdictions given the combination of the world's largest pulp producer with a major international tissue manufacturer. The European Commission and other antitrust authorities are reviewing the transaction for potential competitive concerns in tissue markets.

Kimberly-Clark has faced litigation related to product safety and marketing claims, including cases involving flushable wipes labeling and the environmental impact of its products. The company has settled or is defending these cases while maintaining that its products meet regulatory standards.