Kimberly-Clark Corporation KMB reported fourth-quarter 2019 results, wherein the bottom line improved year over year and marked its fourth consecutive beat. Adjusted earnings of $1.71 per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny and increased 7% from the year-ago period.The quarterly performance reflected organic sales growth, savings from restructuring plans, increased brand investments and focus on innovation. Further, the K-C Strategy 2022 has been aiding performance.To top it, the company ended the year with impressive margin growth, cost savings of $425 million and returns to shareholders of about $2.2 billion. Also, management issued an impressive outlook for 2020 and announced a dividend hike. Notably, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock has rallied 33.7% in a year against the industry’s decline of 5.3%.Kimberly-Clark Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Kimberly-Clark Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Kimberly-Clark Corporation QuoteQuarter in DetailKimberly-Clark’s sales came in at $4,583 million, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4,532 million. The top line remained flat year over year. Unfavorable currency movements weighed on sales by 2%. Also, business exits pertaining to the 2018 Global Restructuring Program had a slight negative impact on sales.Organic sales rose 3% year over year, owing to improved net selling prices (up more than 2%) and product mix (up 1%), somewhat offset by a 1% drop in volumes.In North America, organic sales in consumer products and K-C Professional rose 3% each. Internationally, organic sales increased 3% across developing and emerging markets, while it grew 1% in developed markets.Adjusted operating profit came in at $826 million, up from $742 million in the year-ago quarter. Results gained from higher net selling prices, better product mix, and cost savings of $85 million and $40 million from the FORCE (Focused On Reducing Costs Everywhere) program and the 2018 Global Restructuring Program, respectively. Further, lower input costs stemming from a decline in pulp costs benefited results.However, unfavorable currency translations, increased advertising expenses and a rise in selling, general and administrative costs negatively impacted adjusted operating profit.Segment DetailsPersonal Care Products: Segment sales of $2,242 million rose 1%, owing to improved net selling prices (up 2%) and product mix (up roughly 2%). This was offset by unfavorable currency rates, which hurt sales by 2%. Further, sales increased 2% in North America and 1% in developing and emerging markets. The metric declined 3% across developed markets outside North America.Consumer Tissue: Segment sales of $1,511 million grew 1% year over year. Results gained from improved net selling prices (up 3%), partially offset by lower volumes (down 1%). Adverse currency movements hurt sales by 1%. Sales grew 4% in North America, while it fell 2% each in developing and emerging markets, and developed markets outside North America.K-C Professional (KCP): Segment sales dropped 3% to $815 million due to a 3% adverse impact from several business exits as part of the 2018 Global Restructuring Plan. Also, currency woes hurt sales by 1%. Further, volumes were down 3%. This was somewhat cushioned by improved product mix (up 2%) and higher net selling prices (up 2%). Sales rose 1% in North America, while the same declined 5% each in developing and emerging markets, and developed markets outside North America.Other Financial UpdatesThe company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $442 million, long-term debt of $6,213 million and stockholders’ deficit of $33 million, excluding non-controlling interest of $227 million.Further, Kimberly-Clark generated cash from operating activities of $924 million during the quarter under review. Management incurred capital expenditures of $342 million. It expects capital expenditures of $1,150-$1,350 million for 2020.During the quarter, Kimberly-Clark bought back 1.9 million shares for $252 million. In 2019, the company made buybacks of 6.2 million shares for $800 million. For 2020, management expects share buybacks of $700-$900 million.Concurrently, management announced a 3.9% hike in its quarterly dividend, taking it to $1.07 per share. The raised dividend is payable on Apr 2, 2020, to shareholders of record as of Mar 6.Other Developments & GuidanceManagement is on track with the 2018 Global Restructuring Program, which is aimed at lowering the company’s structural costs and improving financial flexibility. Until the end of 2019, Kimberly-Clark incurred pre-tax cumulative restructuring charges of $1,402 million related to this program, while it made cumulative savings worth $300 million from the same.In 2020, management expects to generate total cost savings of $425-$500 million. This includes expected savings of $325-$375 million from the FORCE program and $100-$125 million from the 2018 Global Restructuring Program. Moreover, the company expects cost of key inputs to drop in the range of $50-$200 million, thanks to lower pulp costs. However, advertising expenses are anticipated to rise in 2020.Management forecasts 2020 net sales to grow 1% year over year. Further, Kimberly-Clark projects organic sales improvement of 2% on the back of higher net selling prices and volumes along with improved product mix. However, currency headwinds are likely to impact net sales by 1%, while business exits related to the 2018 Global Restructuring Program are also expected to slightly affect sales.Management anticipates adjusted operating profit growth of 3-5% for the year.The company also expects interest expenses to rise in 2020, wherein currency headwinds are likely to prevail.Considering all factors, management envisions 2020 adjusted earnings per share of $7.10-$7.35, up from $6.89 reported in 2019. Also, the mid-point of the guided range, which is about $7.23, stands above the current consensus mark of $7.21.3 Other Consumer Staples Stocks Worth a LookOllie’s Bargain OLLI, with a Zacks Rank #2, has a long-term earnings growth rate of 21%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.General Mills GIS has a long-term earnings growth rate of 7% and a Zacks Rank #2.Lamb Weston LW has a long-term earnings growth rate of 8.8% and a Zacks Rank #2.The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce ""the world's first trillionaires,"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB): Free Stock Analysis Report Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. (OLLI): Free Stock Analysis Report Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. (LW): Free Stock Analysis Report General Mills, Inc. (GIS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research