KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION vs PACKAGING CORP OF AMERICA, two Paper & Packaging stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Kimberly-Clark sells tissue and personal-care staples; Packaging Corp sells the corrugated boxes that ship goods around. The consumer name runs the fatter net margin, 12.8% against 8.04%, and pays far more, a 4.6% dividend against 2.07%. It also trades cheaper on earnings, 17.19 times against 29.35 times, and converts more to free cash, 5.04% against 3.26%. Packaging Corp carries heavier debt, 0.86 against 0.32. At $36.5B, Kimberly-Clark is the larger business by a good margin over Packaging Corp's $21.5B. The staples maker offers steadier demand and a bigger payout; the boxmaker offers direct leverage to industrial shipping volumes.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | KMB | PKG |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $112.38 | $228.98 |
| Market cap | $37.4B | $20.4B |
| Sector | Paper & Packaging | Paper & Packaging |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -4.0% | +11.3% |
| P/E | 17.6 | 27.8 |
| P/B | 19.56 | 4.45 |
| P/S | 2.26 | 2.21 |
| EV/EBITDA | 14.1 | 13.2 |
| Revenue growth | +0.2% | +7.8% |
| Gross margin | 36.9% | 19.1% |
| Operating margin | 18.1% | 10.6% |
| Net margin | 12.8% | 8.0% |
| Return on equity | 110.7% | 16.2% |
| Return on assets | 12.3% | 6.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 77.4% | 9.8% |
| FCF yield | 4.9% | 3.4% |
| Dividend yield | 4.5% | 2.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.32 | 0.86 |
| Current ratio | 0.77 | 3.07 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.80 | 7.68 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.