Historically, companies operating in the household and personal product industry have consistently generated double digit returns. This industry has been one of the best choices for conservative investors. Price stability, financial strength ratings, and earnings predictability are naturally very favorable. On top, most of these equities are offering appealing dividends with steady price appreciation.
The household and personal product industry is sought as defensive investments because this industry provides solid downside protection in challenging periods. This industry is relatively established; thus, sales and earnings flows are comparatively stable and predictable right through the business cycle.
For consistently increasing profitability, their business strategy always involves mergers and acquisitions. Overseas expansion and innovation are another means to capture mass or niche market share. Kimberly Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB) is one of the best large caps operating in the household & personal products industry. In this piece of writing, I look at Kimberly Clark’s financial situation for sustainable returns.
Kimberly-Clark dividend profile
KMB Dividend data by YCharts
It is seen as one of the best and safest companies for income oriented investors. At the moment, it offers a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding 3.32%. In the past five years, it has been able to enlarge its annual dividends from $2.12 per share in 2008 to $3.24 per share in this current year. It has been also managed to increase its payout ratio over the past several years. At present, its payout ratio based on dividends stands at 65.9%.
Financial analysis
Kimberly Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB) and its well-known global brands are an essential part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Each day, about a quarter of the globe’s population trusts its K-C brands. With solid brands like Scott, Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex, Pull-Ups and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in over 80 countries.
With these solid brands, it is generating increasing profits year over year. Kimberly Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB) is operating under four business segments named Personal Care Segment, Consumer Tissue Segment, K-C Professional (KCP) Segment and Health Care Segment. All business segments are generating solid result for the company.
Recently, Kimberly Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB) announced second quarter results with consolidated sales of $5.3 billion. In the second quarter, it was able to grow organic sales by 3%; however, it lost 2% of sales in conjunction with pulp and tissue restructuring and European strategic changes. Still with the slow growth in the top line, it has been able to achieve 6% growth in operating profits.
The company is strongly working on cost saving measures which led it to increase operating profit by $80 million. As a result of cost saving measures, it has improved adjusted operating profit margin by 80 basis points and reported an 8% increase in adjusted earnings per share in the latest quarter. For the full year, it is anticipating saving $300-$350 million through the cost saving program and organic sales growth of 3% to 5%, led by K-C International.
| In million | 2011 | 2012 | Trailing twelve months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating cash flow | $2,288 | $3,288 | $3,310 |
| Capital expenditure | ($968) | ($1,093) | ($1,108) |
| Free cash flow | $1,320 | $2,195 | $2,202 |
Source: Morningstar.com
Kimberly Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB) has been showing a strong cash position to sustain its dividend. Its operating and free cash flows are growing year over year. In the trailing twelve months, its free cash flow stands at $2.2 billion when dividend payments accounted for only $1.1 billion. I believe its dividend is sustainable as long as its free cash flows provide full coverage to its dividend payments.
