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GIS vs. KMB: General Mills vs. Kimberly-Clark Stock Comparison

How do General Mills (GIS) 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

General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) share the Consumer Staples sector but sit in different industry groups — GIS in Food, Beverage & Tobacco and KMB in Household & Personal Products.

Company profile comparison for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Profile ItemGISKMB
NameGeneral Mills Inc.Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupFood, Beverage & TobaccoHousehold & Personal Products
GICS IndustryFood ProductsHousehold Products
GICS Sub-IndustryPackaged Foods & MeatsHousehold Products
Market Capitalization18.99 billion USD66.54 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GIS
KMB
GSPC
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General Mills (GIS) 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 General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
MetricGISKMB
Total Return (1Y)-20.22%13.15%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-14.80%1.74%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-7.41%0.51%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GIS
KMB
GSPC
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General Mills (GIS) 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 General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

General Mills (GIS) reports a negative beta of -0.01, suggesting inverse market sensitivity over the measurement window. That is uncommon for ordinary equities and can reflect commodity-linked or hedge-like exposure, but it can also come from statistical noise. Kimberly-Clark (KMB) has a non-negative beta of 0.24.

Risk profile metrics for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
MetricGISKMB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)30.85%25.22%
Beta (5Y)-0.010.24
Max Drawdown (5Y)-59.63%-34.06%
Avg. Volume (3M)9.41M4.78M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GIS and KMB are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
MetricGISKMB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.790.35
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-1.140.53

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) reports a negative ROE of -10.50%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Kimberly-Clark (KMB) reports 78.38%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

-10.50%

Max
32.02%
Q3
16.61%
Median
10.05%
Q1
4.10%
GIS
-10.50%
Min
-10.50%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

78.38%

KMB
78.38%
Max
42.18%
Q3
31.87%
Median
17.80%
Q1
9.28%
Min
-14.64%
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) reports a negative net margin of -4.89%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Kimberly-Clark (KMB) reports 19.93%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

-4.89%

Max
24.83%
Q3
11.22%
Median
5.94%
Q1
2.05%
GIS
-4.89%
Min
-11.49%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

19.93%

Max
23.47%
KMB
19.93%
Q3
12.19%
Median
8.50%
Q1
3.08%
Min
-9.74%
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both General Mills (GIS) at 15.24% and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 16.55% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

15.24%

Max
34.91%
Q3
17.57%
GIS
15.24%
Median
11.06%
Q1
4.15%
Min
-15.06%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

16.55%

Max
23.94%
Q3
17.03%
KMB
16.55%
Median
13.15%
Q1
10.58%
Min
1.87%
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
MetricGISKMB
ROE (TTM)-10.50%78.38%
ROA (TTM)5.65%10.37%
Net Margin (TTM)-4.89%19.93%
Operating Margin (TTM)15.24%16.55%
Gross Margin (TTM)33.73%37.31%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both General Mills (GIS) at -5.45% and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at -2.13% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both General Mills (GIS) at -103.90% and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at -19.60% post bottom-quartile EPS growth versus peers, pointing to weaker earnings momentum than typical rivals.

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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
MetricGISKMB
Revenue Growth (YoY)-5.45%-2.13%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.85%-6.58%
EPS Growth (YoY)-103.90%-19.60%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--1.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both General Mills (GIS) at 0.70 and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 0.89 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.70

Max
4.01
Q3
2.35
Median
1.53
Q1
1.02
GIS
0.70
Min
0.33

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.89

Max
4.26
Q3
2.82
Median
1.84
Q1
0.92
KMB
0.89
Min
0.65
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 2.12 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while General Mills (GIS) at 1.82 uses more debt funding than most peers.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.82

Max
2.19
GIS
1.82
Q3
1.11
Median
0.68
Q1
0.33
Min
0.00

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.12

Max
2.30
KMB
2.12
Q3
2.12
Median
0.81
Q1
0.50
Min
0.01
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
MetricGISKMB
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.700.89
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.822.12
Net Debt / EBITDA3.861.31

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both General Mills (GIS) at 6.69% and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 4.62% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

6.69%

Max
9.38%
GIS
6.69%
Q3
3.77%
Median
1.76%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

4.62%

Max
5.00%
KMB
4.62%
Q3
2.47%
Median
1.30%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) at 59.41% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 97.33% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

59.41%

Max
199.19%
Q3
81.03%
GIS
59.41%
Median
41.52%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

97.33%

Max
140.00%
KMB
97.33%
Q3
73.75%
Median
46.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
MetricGISKMB
Dividend Yield (TTM)6.69%4.62%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)59.41%97.33%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Kimberly-Clark (KMB) trades at 20.69 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while General Mills (GIS) has no P/E ratio this period.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

--

Max
52.52
Q3
30.78
Median
18.76
Q1
12.77
Min
4.72
GIS
--

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.69

Max
37.57
Q3
33.54
KMB
20.69
Median
20.03
Q1
15.76
Min
6.45
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): GIS does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; KMB is benchmarked against the Household & Personal Products industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) at 1.04 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 4.02 sits in the pricier quartile — KMB costs more per dollar of sales.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.04

Max
4.64
Q3
2.27
Median
1.17
GIS
1.04
Q1
0.52
Min
0.00

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

4.02

Max
4.36
KMB
4.02
Q3
3.57
Median
1.68
Q1
0.76
Min
0.30
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

General Mills (GIS) at 2.55 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 12.30 carries an above-peer premium to book — KMB is pricier on assets.

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.55

Max
6.35
Q3
3.07
GIS
2.55
Median
1.58
Q1
0.82
Min
0.00

KMB

Household & Personal Products industry group

12.30

KMB
12.30
Max
12.30
Q3
7.43
Median
3.44
Q1
1.30
Min
-3.91
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General Mills (GIS) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Household & Personal Products industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Mills (GIS) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
MetricGISKMB
P/E Ratio (TTM)--20.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.044.02
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.5512.30
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)6.86%2.41%