The ratings on Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark Corp., a global manufacturer and marketer of household and personal care products, reflect Standard&Poor's Ratings Services' view the company will continue to maintain a "strong" business profile, and an "intermediate" financial risk profile (as defined by our criteria). Our view that Kimberly-Clark's business risk profile is strong is based on the continued diversity and high brand equity of the company's product portfolio, in addition to our expectation the company will maintain its well-established brands and very good market positions globally. We believe the diversity and strength of Kimberly-Clark's product portfolio will remain good and continue to improve over time. We believe certain risk factors will remain important in our assessment of the company's
