On March 15, 2002, Standard&Poor's assigned a rating to Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s $400 million 4.5% notes due July 2005. The ratings for Kimberly-Clark reflect the company's above-average business profile and the expectation that a moderate financial profile will be maintained. The company has strong market shares in a number of core categories, including Personal Care (Huggies, Pull-Ups), Consumer Tissue (Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle), and Business-to-Business (Safeskin, Ballard). The diversification of Kimberly-Clark's product portfolio and its international presence should provide the company with a solid and consistent stream of future earnings and cash flow. One of the company's key strategic objectives is to build its existing U.S. platform and extend its strong brands globally through acquisitions, joint ventures, and licensing arrangements.
