NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) March 15, 2002--Standard&Poor's said today it assigned its double-'A' rating to consumer products company Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s $400 million 4.5% notes due July 2005. Proceeds of the notes will be used to repay commercial paper. At the same time, the double-'A' and 'A-1'-plus corporate credit ratings for the company and units were affirmed. The outlook is stable. About $3.7 billion in debt was outstanding on Dec. 31, 2001. "Standard&Poor's expects Kimberly-Clark will maintain its moderate financial policies and solid market position in large, stable consumer product categories, which should generate high returns and good cash flow over the next two to three years," commented Standard&Poor's credit analyst Lori Harris. Texas-based
