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KMB vs. UL: Kimberly-Clark vs. Unilever Stock Comparison

How do Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL) 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 Unilever (UL) both fall under the Household & Personal Products industry group, but KMB is classified in Household Products while UL is classified in Personal Care Products.

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) trades as ordinary local shares, while Unilever (UL) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
Profile ItemKMBUL
NameKimberly-Clark CorporationUnilever PLC Sponsored American Depositary Receipt
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited Kingdom
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupHousehold & Personal ProductsHousehold & Personal Products
GICS IndustryHousehold ProductsPersonal Care Products
GICS Sub-IndustryHousehold ProductsPersonal Care Products
Market Capitalization36.71 billion USD133.70 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980March 25, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

KMB
UL
GSPC
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL), 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 Unilever (UL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
MetricKMBUL
Total Return (1Y)-13.19%-6.71%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-0.75%5.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-0.42%2.61%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
MetricKMBUL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)27.18%24.06%
Beta (5Y)0.260.41
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.06%-25.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.28M4.20M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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KMB and UL 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 Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
MetricKMBUL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.63-0.44
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.79-0.64

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 104.91% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Unilever (UL) at 31.87% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

31.87%

Max
42.18%
UL
31.87%
Q3
30.68%
Median
15.51%
Q1
-0.54%
Min
-20.43%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their ROE against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 11.79% and Unilever (UL) at 18.32% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

18.32%

Max
18.44%
UL
18.32%
Q3
11.31%
Median
7.12%
Q1
0.51%
Min
-9.20%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their net margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 20.35% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 19.00%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.35%

Max
24.77%
UL
20.35%
Q3
19.31%
Median
14.31%
Q1
11.80%
Min
8.81%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
MetricKMBUL
ROE (TTM)104.91%31.87%
ROA (TTM)10.20%8.29%
Net Margin (TTM)11.79%18.32%
Operating Margin (TTM)19.00%20.35%
Gross Margin (TTM)37.61%47.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at -2.13% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Unilever (UL) at -3.77% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Unilever (UL) at 67.69% 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. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
MetricKMBUL
Revenue Growth (YoY)-2.13%-3.77%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-6.58%-5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)-19.60%67.69%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)1.94%8.70%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 0.91 and Unilever (UL) at 0.74 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.74

Max
4.06
Q3
3.23
Median
1.85
Q1
1.01
UL
0.74
Min
0.66
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Unilever (UL) at 1.75 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 3.49 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.75

Max
3.49
Q3
1.82
UL
1.75
Median
0.80
Q1
0.42
Min
0.06
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
MetricKMBUL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.910.74
Debt / Equity (MRQ)3.491.75
Net Debt / EBITDA1.602.41

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 4.59% and Unilever (UL) at 3.01% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

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%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

3.01%

Max
5.29%
UL
3.01%
Q3
2.91%
Median
1.40%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): 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 Unilever (UL) reports 78.60%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

78.60%

Max
103.12%
Q3
81.36%
UL
78.60%
Median
47.99%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
MetricKMBUL
Dividend Yield (TTM)4.59%3.01%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)100.40%78.60%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 21.82 and Unilever (UL) at 20.98 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

21.82

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

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.98

Max
36.20
Q3
24.73
Median
21.81
UL
20.98
Q1
16.57
Min
7.57
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 2.21 and Unilever (UL) at 2.64 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.64

Max
4.75
Q3
3.28
UL
2.64
Median
2.00
Q1
0.73
Min
0.07
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Unilever (UL) at 7.15 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Kimberly-Clark (KMB) at 20.98 prices above its benchmark range — KMB looks rich relative to book.

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

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

7.15

Max
11.05
Q3
7.77
UL
7.15
Median
3.83
Q1
1.41
Min
-2.72
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Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Unilever (UL)
MetricKMBUL
P/E Ratio (TTM)21.8220.98
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.212.64
P/B Ratio (MRQ)20.987.15
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.56%5.04%