CL vs. KMB: Colgate-Palmolive vs. Kimberly-Clark Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) are both classified in the Household Products sub-industry within the broader Household Products industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Profile Item	CL	KMB
Name	Colgate-Palmolive Company	Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Household & Personal Products	Household & Personal Products
GICS Industry	Household Products	Household Products
GICS Sub-Industry	Household Products	Household Products
Market Capitalization	73.30 billion USD	36.71 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	May 2, 1973	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

KMB

GSPC

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Metric	CL	KMB
Total Return (1Y)	11.34%	-13.19%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	9.22%	-0.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	5.45%	-0.42%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

KMB

GSPC

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Metric	CL	KMB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	22.53%	27.18%
Beta (5Y)	0.33	0.26
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-29.05%	-34.06%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.99M	4.28M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CL and KMB are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Metric	CL	KMB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.33	-0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.49	-0.79

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 267.37% and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 104.91% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

267.37%

CL: 267.37%
Max: 42.18%
Q3: 30.68%
Median: 15.51%
Q1: -0.54%
Min: -20.43%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

104.91%

KMB: 104.91%
Max: 42.18%
Q3: 30.68%
Median: 15.51%
Q1: -0.54%
Min: -20.43%

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their ROE against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 11.79% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 9.68%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

9.68%

Max: 18.44%
Q3: 11.31%
CL: 9.68%
Median: 7.12%
Q1: 0.51%
Min: -9.20%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

11.79%

Max: 18.44%
KMB: 11.79%
Q3: 11.31%
Median: 7.12%
Q1: 0.51%
Min: -9.20%

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their net margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 20.97% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 19.00%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.97%

Max: 24.77%
CL: 20.97%
Q3: 19.31%
Median: 14.31%
Q1: 11.80%
Min: 8.81%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

19.00%

Max: 24.77%
Q3: 19.31%
KMB: 19.00%
Median: 14.31%
Q1: 11.80%
Min: 8.81%

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Metric	CL	KMB
ROE (TTM)	267.37%	104.91%
ROA (TTM)	15.84%	10.20%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.68%	11.79%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.97%	19.00%
Gross Margin (TTM)	60.43%	37.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 1.40% and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at -2.13% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at -25.07% and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at -19.60% post bottom-quartile EPS growth versus peers, pointing to weaker earnings momentum than typical rivals.

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Metric	CL	KMB
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.40%	-2.13%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.29%	-6.58%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-25.07%	-19.60%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.28%	1.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 1.03 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 0.91 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for KMB.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.03

Max: 4.06
Q3: 3.23
Median: 1.85
CL: 1.03
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.66

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.91

Max: 4.06
Q3: 3.23
Median: 1.85
Q1: 1.01
KMB: 0.91
Min: 0.66

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their current ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but CL is more stretched: Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 3.49 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 13.88 is above its industry benchmark range.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

13.88

CL: 13.88
Max: 3.49
Q3: 1.82
Median: 0.80
Q1: 0.42
Min: 0.06

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

3.49

KMB: 3.49
Max: 3.49
Q3: 1.82
Median: 0.80
Q1: 0.42
Min: 0.06

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Metric	CL	KMB
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.03	0.91
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	13.88	3.49
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.29	1.60

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 4.59% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 2.25% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, KMB the richer one.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.25%

Max: 5.29%
Q3: 2.91%
CL: 2.25%
Median: 1.40%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

4.59%

Max: 5.29%
KMB: 4.59%
Q3: 2.91%
Median: 1.40%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) reports payout ratio above 100% at 100.40%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Colgate-Palmolive (CL) reports 82.28%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

82.28%

Max: 103.12%
CL: 82.28%
Q3: 81.36%
Median: 47.99%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

100.40%

Max: 103.12%
KMB: 100.40%
Q3: 81.36%
Median: 47.99%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Metric	CL	KMB
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.25%	4.59%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	82.28%	100.40%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 21.82 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 36.20 sits in the richer quartile — CL needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

36.20

CL: 36.20
Max: 36.20
Q3: 24.73
Median: 21.81
Q1: 16.57
Min: 7.57

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

21.82

Max: 36.20
Q3: 24.73
KMB: 21.82
Median: 21.81
Q1: 16.57
Min: 7.57

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 2.21 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 3.48 sits in the pricier quartile — CL costs more per dollar of sales.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

3.48

Max: 4.75
CL: 3.48
Q3: 3.28
Median: 2.00
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.07

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.21

Max: 4.75
Q3: 3.28
KMB: 2.21
Median: 2.00
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.07

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 310.64 and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 20.98 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

310.64

CL: 310.64
Max: 11.05
Q3: 7.77
Median: 3.83
Q1: 1.41
Min: -2.72

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.98

KMB: 20.98
Max: 11.05
Q3: 7.77
Median: 3.83
Q1: 1.41
Min: -2.72

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Metric	CL	KMB
P/E Ratio (TTM)	36.20	21.82
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.48	2.21
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	310.64	20.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.72%	2.56%