Staff and wire reports

Kimberly-Clark Corp.’s board of directors on Tuesday declared an increase in its regular quarterly dividend to $1.28 per share, up from $1.26 previously.

The dividend is payable in cash on April 2 to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 6, the company reported in a news release.

Kimberly-Clark has paid a dividend for 92 consecutive years, and this represents the 54th consecutive year that the company has increased its dividend to shareholders.

“In 2025, we accelerated the largest transformation in Kimberly-Clark’s more than 150-year history, delivering results that underscore the strength of our business and serve as a springboard for enhanced growth and continued outperformance in 2026,” said Kimberly-Clark Chairman and CEO Mike Hsu.

“Acquiring (consumer health company) Kenvue is a powerful next step in our transformation that will compound the momentum we’re already delivering across Kimberly-Clark. Importantly, it will also enable us to raise the standard of care for billions of people around the world.”

Kimberly-Clark is constructing a manufacturing facility on the former RG Steel property near Warren. A distribution center is being considered for the site. The company has yet to commit to the project.

The plant will produce many of the products in its personal care line Kimberly-Clark said. Among those are incontinence products, nighttime underwear, diapers, wipes, training pants, paper towels, tissues, toilet paper and tampons.

For the fourth quarter, delivered net sales were $4.1 billion, down 0.6%, with organic sales growth of 2.1%. Gross margin was 35.9%; adjusted gross margin was 37%, in line with the prior year.

Operating profit for the quarter was $507 million, while adjusted operating profit was $629 million, up 13.1% versus the prior year driven by strong productivity gains and lower planned marketing, research and general expenses.

GM LOSES $3.31 BILLION

IN QUARTER

General Motors Co. on Tuesday reported a loss of $3.31 billion in its fourth quarter.

On a per-share basis, the Detroit-based company said it had a loss of $3.60. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $2.51 per share.

The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.20 per share.

The automotive manufacturer posted revenue of $45.29 billion in the period, missing Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $46.13 billion.

For the year, the company reported profit of $2.7 billion, or $3.27 per share. Revenue was reported as $185.02 billion.

General Motors expects full-year earnings in the range of $11 to $13 per share.

Fourth-quarter net income was reduced by more than $7.2 billion in special charges driven primarily by a realignment of electric vehicle capacity and investments to adjust to expected declines in consumer demand for EVs, and in response to U.S. Government policy changes including the termination of consumer incentives and the reduction in the stringency of emissions regulations.

GM’s 2026 financial guidance also includes anticipated capital spending of $10 billion to $12 billion, inclusive of the company’s battery cell manufacturing joint ventures.

Its board of directors has approved a $0.03 per share increase in the quarterly common stock dividend rate to $0.18 per share. GM declared a quarterly cash dividend on the company’s outstanding common stock at the new rate of $0.18 per share, payable March 19 to holders of common stock at the close of trading on March 6.

The board has approved a new $6 billion share repurchase authorization.

“For several years now, GM’s strong brands and winning vehicles, as well as our technology-driven services and operating discipline, have delivered consistently strong cash generation. This has allowed us to execute all phases of our capital allocation strategy, from investing in the business and our people, to maintaining a strong balance sheet and returning capital to shareholders,” said Mary Barra, Chair and CEO.