A Look Back at Household Products Stocks' Q4 Earnings: Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) Vs The Rest Of The Pack

Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to other peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB), and the best and worst performers in the household products group.

Household products stocks are generally stable investments, as many of the industry's products are essential for a comfortable and functional living space. Recently, there's been a growing emphasis on eco-friendly and sustainable offerings, reflecting the evolving consumer preferences for environmentally conscious options. These trends can be double-edged swords that benefit companies who innovate quickly to take advantage of them and hurt companies that don't invest enough to meet consumers where they want to be with regards to trends.

The 10 household products stocks we track reported a strong Q4; on average, revenues beat analyst consensus estimates by 2.3% Investors abandoned cash-burning companies to buy stocks with higher margins of safety, but household products stocks held their ground better than others, with the share prices up 4.9% on average since the previous earnings results.

Weakest Q4: Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB)

Originally founded as a Wisconsin paper mill in 1872, Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) is now a household products powerhouse known for personal care and tissue products.

Kimberly-Clark reported revenues of $4.97 billion, flat year on year, falling short of analyst expectations by 0.5%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with a miss of analysts' operating margin and EPS estimates due to $170 million of currency headwinds from its developing markets experiencing hyperinflation.

"We had a solid finish to 2023, delivering strong organic growth as well as cost and earnings recovery above our initial expectations," said Kimberly-Clark Chairman and CEO Mike Hsu.

Kimberly-Clark delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. The stock is up 3.1% since the results and currently trades at $128.8.

Read our full report on Kimberly-Clark here, it's free.

Best Q4: Clorox (NYSE:CLX)

Founded in 1913 with bleach as the sole product offering, Clorox (NYSE:CLX) today is a consumer products giant whose product portfolio spans everything from bleach to skincare to salad dressing to kitty litter.

Clorox reported revenues of $1.99 billion, up 16% year on year, outperforming analyst expectations by 10.3%. It was an incredible quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts' earnings estimates, although some large one-time charges that were added back to arrive at the EPS (non-GAAP) figure likely made it difficult for Wall Street to model and project. In addition, its revenue and gross margin outperformed Wall Street's estimates.

Clorox achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 2.5% since the results and currently trades at $151.65.

Is now the time to buy Clorox? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.

Energizer (NYSE:ENR)

Masterminds behind the viral Energizer Bunny mascot, Energizer (NYSE:ENR) is one of the world's largest manufacturers of batteries.

Energizer reported revenues of $716.6 million, down 6.3% year on year, in line with analyst expectations. It was a weaker quarter for the company, with a miss of analysts' organic revenue growth estimates. While next quarter's EPS outlook was below expectations, full year EPS guidance was in line.

The stock is down 6.4% since the results and currently trades at $29.05.

Read our full analysis of Energizer's results here.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD)

Best known for its Arm & Hammer baking soda, Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) is a household and personal care products company with a vast portfolio that spans laundry detergent to toothbrushes to hair removal creams.

Church & Dwight reported revenues of $1.53 billion, up 6.4% year on year, surpassing analyst expectations by 1.1%. It was a mixed quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts' organic revenue growth estimates but underwhelming earnings guidance for the next quarter.

The stock is up 3.2% since the results and currently trades at $105.02.

Read our full, actionable report on Church & Dwight here, it's free.

Reynolds (NASDAQ:REYN)

Best known for its aluminum foil, Reynolds (NASDAQ:REYN) is a household products company whose products focus on food storage, cooking, and waste.

Reynolds reported revenues of $1.01 billion, down 7.5% year on year, in line with analyst expectations. It was a solid quarter for the company, with optimistic earnings guidance for the next quarter and the full year.

Reynolds had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 3.8% since the results and currently trades at $28.88.

Read our full, actionable report on Reynolds here, it's free.

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