Kimberly-Clark Forms Arbex Joint Venture With Suzano for Hygiene and Tissue

Zacks Investment Research·30 Sep 2026·

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Kimberly-Clark Corporation has formed Arbex, a strategic joint venture with Suzano that combines Suzano's scale and capabilities with Kimberly-Clark's commercial capabilities and tissue-making knowledge to create a world-class global competitor in the hygiene and tissue business. Kimberly-Clark said the partnership is a strategic combination rather than an effort to move away from an existing problem or challenge, and management expects its clear focus on global personal care to help drive execution as Arbex moves forward. The company reported sequential improvements and double-digit gains across International Personal Care markets including India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia, with diaper market share gains of 390 basis points in Indonesia and 70 basis points in Brazil. KMB stock has lost 11.2% in the past three months compared with the industry's decline of 1.3%, and trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38 versus the industry's average of 18.52. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KMB's current fiscal-year earnings implies a year-over-year decline of 2.4%, while next fiscal year earnings imply growth of 2.1%.

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