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KMB vs. KO: Kimberly-Clark vs. Coca-Cola Stock Comparison

How do Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Profile ItemKMBKO
NameKimberly-Clark CorporationThe Coca-Cola Company
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupHousehold & Personal ProductsFood, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS IndustryHousehold ProductsBeverages
GICS Sub-IndustryHousehold ProductsSoft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages
Market Capitalization66.54 billion USD411.56 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980January 2, 1962
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

KMB
KO
GSPC
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO), 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 Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
MetricKMBKO
Total Return (1Y)13.15%39.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)1.74%22.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)0.51%14.43%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

KMB
KO
GSPC
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO), 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 Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
MetricKMBKO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.22%18.90%
Beta (5Y)0.240.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.06%-17.27%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.78M16.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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KMB and KO 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 Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
MetricKMBKO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.351.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.533.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 78.38% and Coca-Cola (KO) at 40.59% 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.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

40.59%

KO
40.59%
Max
32.02%
Q3
16.61%
Median
10.05%
Q1
4.10%
Min
-10.50%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.65% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 19.93% also retains a top-quartile share.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.65%

KO
28.65%
Max
24.83%
Q3
11.22%
Median
5.94%
Q1
2.05%
Min
-11.49%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 33.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 16.55%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

33.36%

Max
34.91%
KO
33.36%
Q3
17.57%
Median
11.06%
Q1
4.15%
Min
-15.06%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
MetricKMBKO
ROE (TTM)78.38%40.59%
ROA (TTM)10.37%9.59%
Net Margin (TTM)19.93%28.65%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.55%33.36%
Gross Margin (TTM)37.31%62.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.87% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at -2.13% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Coca-Cola (KO) at 23.58% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at -19.60% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
MetricKMBKO
Revenue Growth (YoY)-2.13%1.87%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-6.58%3.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)-19.60%23.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)1.94%11.55%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.38 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 0.89 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for KMB.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.38

Max
4.01
Q3
2.35
Median
1.53
KO
1.38
Q1
1.02
Min
0.33
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 2.12 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.07 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.07

Max
2.19
Q3
1.11
KO
1.07
Median
0.68
Q1
0.33
Min
0.00
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
MetricKMBKO
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.891.38
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.121.07
Net Debt / EBITDA1.311.48

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 4.62% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Coca-Cola (KO) at 2.19% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, KMB the richer one.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.19%

Max
9.38%
Q3
3.77%
KO
2.19%
Median
1.76%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 61.95% 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.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

61.95%

Max
199.19%
Q3
81.03%
KO
61.95%
Median
41.52%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
MetricKMBKO
Dividend Yield (TTM)4.62%2.19%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)97.33%61.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 20.69 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.22 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.22

Max
52.52
Q3
30.78
KO
28.22
Median
18.76
Q1
12.77
Min
4.72
Loading chart…
Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 4.02 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Coca-Cola (KO) at 8.06 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.06

KO
8.06
Max
4.64
Q3
2.27
Median
1.17
Q1
0.52
Min
0.00
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 12.30 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Coca-Cola (KO) at 11.01 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

11.01

KO
11.01
Max
6.35
Q3
3.07
Median
1.58
Q1
0.82
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Coca-Cola (KO)
MetricKMBKO
P/E Ratio (TTM)20.6928.22
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.028.06
P/B Ratio (MRQ)12.3011.01
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.41%1.06%