Kao Corporation

TSE:4452 Stock Report

Market Cap: JP¥2.7t

Kao Future Growth

Future criteria checks 1/6

Kao is forecast to grow earnings and revenue by 6.2% and 3.3% per annum respectively. EPS is expected to grow by 6.7% per annum. Return on equity is forecast to be 13% in 3 years.

Key information

6.2%

Earnings growth rate

6.74%

EPS growth rate

Personal Products earnings growth14.9%
Revenue growth rate3.3%
Future return on equity13.00%
Analyst coverage

Good

Last updated12 Jun 2026

Recent future growth updates

Analysis Article • May 14

Kao Corporation Just Beat Analyst Forecasts, And Analysts Have Been Updating Their Predictions

Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) just released its latest quarterly results and things are looking bullish. The company...
Analysis Article • Mar 28

The Kao Corporation (TSE:4452) Full-Year Results Are Out And Analysts Have Published New Forecasts

Investors in Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) had a good week, as its shares rose 2.2% to close at JP¥6,147 following the...
Analysis Article • Feb 08

Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting For Kao Corporation (TSE:4452) After Its Annual Results

Investors in Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) had a good week, as its shares rose 5.5% to close at JP¥6,529 following the...
Analysis Article • Nov 09

Kao Corporation (TSE:4452) Just Released Its Third-Quarter Results And Analysts Are Updating Their Estimates

The quarterly results for Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) were released last week, making it a good time to revisit its...
Analysis Article • Aug 11

Kao Corporation Just Missed EPS By 9.4%: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

TSE:4452 1 Year Share Price vs Fair Value Explore Kao's Fair Values from the Community and select yours Kao Corporation...

Recent updates

Narrative Update • Jun 07

4452: Asia Expansion And Governance Review Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have trimmed their fair value estimate for Kao slightly to ¥7,319 per share, reflecting modest updates to assumptions on revenue growth, profit margins, the discount rate and future P/E expectations. What's in the News Kao has called a Special and Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting for April 30, 2026, at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time, to address shareholder proposals related to the company’s governance and oversight.
Narrative Update • May 20

4452: Governance Review And Asia Expansion Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have trimmed their fair value estimate for Kao from about ¥7,371 to roughly ¥7,325, reflecting slightly softer assumptions on revenue growth, profit margins, and future P/E, partly offset by a modestly lower discount rate. What's in the News Kao has called a Special and Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting for April 30, 2026, at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time.
Analysis Article • May 14

Kao Corporation Just Beat Analyst Forecasts, And Analysts Have Been Updating Their Predictions

Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) just released its latest quarterly results and things are looking bullish. The company...
Narrative Update • Apr 29

4452: Share Split And Governance Review Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have lowered their price target for Kao from approximately ¥7,528 to ¥7,372, reflecting updated assumptions around the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E levels. What's in the News Kao has called a special shareholders meeting for April 30, 2026 at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time, focused on matters raised by certain shareholders.
Narrative Update • Apr 13

4452: Share Split And Governance Vote Will Support Future Upside Potential

The updated analyst price target for Kao edges slightly lower by about ¥21 to ¥7,528, as analysts fine tune assumptions around discount rate, revenue growth, profit margins and forward P/E to reflect a more balanced risk and return profile. What's in the News Kao has called an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders for April 30, 2026 in Tokyo, following a request from Oasis Japan Strategic Fund Ltd.
Narrative Update • Mar 29

4452: Share Split And Dividend Policy Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have raised their fair value estimate for Kao from about ¥7,487 to roughly ¥7,548, citing updated assumptions for revenue growth, discount rate, and future P/E, along with a slightly lower profit margin outlook. What's in the News Kao has called an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders for April 30, 2026, after Oasis Japan Strategic Fund Ltd.
Analysis Article • Mar 28

The Kao Corporation (TSE:4452) Full-Year Results Are Out And Analysts Have Published New Forecasts

Investors in Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) had a good week, as its shares rose 2.2% to close at JP¥6,147 following the...
Narrative Update • Mar 01

4452: Dividend Policy And Share Split Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have modestly adjusted their view on Kao, keeping the fair value estimate steady at around ¥7,486 while fine tuning assumptions on discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E to reflect a slightly different balance between growth expectations and profitability. What's in the News Kao reported a year end dividend of ¥77 per share for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, compared with ¥76 per share a year earlier, with dividend payments scheduled for March 25, 2026 (Key Developments).
Narrative Update • Feb 14

4452: Dividend Guidance And Share Split Will Shape Future Earnings Per Share

Analysts have slightly trimmed their price target on Kao to about ¥7,487 from ¥7,495, reflecting updated assumptions around fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E estimates. What's in the News Kao reported a year-end dividend of ¥77 per share for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, compared with ¥76 per share a year earlier, with dividend payments scheduled for March 25, 2026 (Key Developments).
Analysis Article • Feb 08

Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting For Kao Corporation (TSE:4452) After Its Annual Results

Investors in Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) had a good week, as its shares rose 5.5% to close at JP¥6,529 following the...
Narrative Update • Jan 31

4452: Share Retirements And Completed Buybacks Will Support Future Earnings Per Share

Analysts kept their fair value estimate for Kao broadly unchanged at ¥7,495, with only small tweaks to the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions guiding this steady price target view. What's in the News Kao has scheduled a board meeting on December 16, 2025 to consider retiring treasury shares in line with Article 178 of the Companies Act (company disclosure).
Narrative Update • Jan 16

4452: Share Retirements And Buybacks Will Support Future Earnings Per Share

Analysts have trimmed their price target for Kao from ¥7,630 to ¥7,495 as they recalibrate fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions in light of recent updates to their models. What's in the News Kao scheduled a board meeting for December 16, 2025, to consider retiring treasury shares in accordance with Article 178 of the Companies Act (company filing).
Analysis Article • Dec 12

These 4 Measures Indicate That Kao (TSE:4452) Is Using Debt Safely

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' So it seems the smart money knows that...
Analysis Article • Nov 28

Kao (TSE:4452) Has Announced A Dividend Of ¥77.00

The board of Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥77.00 per share on the 24th of...
Analysis Article • Nov 09

Kao Corporation (TSE:4452) Just Released Its Third-Quarter Results And Analysts Are Updating Their Estimates

The quarterly results for Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) were released last week, making it a good time to revisit its...
Analysis Article • Nov 06

Kao (TSE:4452) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of ¥77.00

The board of Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥77.00 per share on the 24th of...
Narrative Update • Sep 06

Premium Product Investments And Emerging Markets Will Unlock Future Potential

With both Kao's Future P/E and discount rate remaining effectively unchanged, the consensus analyst price target also held steady at ¥7630. What's in the News Kao joined a 27-company consortium, led by Resonac, to co-develop materials and equipment for next-generation panel-level organic interposers in advanced semiconductor packaging.
Analysis Article • Sep 02

Kao (TSE:4452) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of ¥77.00

The board of Kao Corporation ( TSE:4452 ) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 24th of March, with...
Analysis Article • Aug 24

Kao (TSE:4452) May Have Issues Allocating Its Capital

To avoid investing in a business that's in decline, there's a few financial metrics that can provide early indications...
Analysis Article • Aug 11

Kao Corporation Just Missed EPS By 9.4%: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

TSE:4452 1 Year Share Price vs Fair Value Explore Kao's Fair Values from the Community and select yours Kao Corporation...
Analysis Article • Jul 08

Kao (TSE:4452) Seems To Use Debt Rather Sparingly

The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says...
Analysis Article • Jun 19

There's Reason For Concern Over Kao Corporation's (TSE:4452) Price

When close to half the companies in Japan have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 13x, you may consider Kao...
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New Narrative • Nov 10

Resilient Expansion Into High-Value Segments Boosts Profit Margins And Global Market Share

Structural reforms and brand focus have strengthened Kao's earning power, boosting net margins and operating income through high-value-added manufacturing.

Earnings and Revenue Growth Forecasts

TSE:4452 - Analysts future estimates and past financials data (JPY Millions)
DateRevenueEarningsFree Cash FlowCash from OpAvg. No. Analysts
12/31/20281,887,314155,850152,709240,44512
12/31/20271,833,223144,893139,617226,53713
12/31/20261,772,546135,880129,203213,06913
3/31/20261,712,000128,230130,473202,812N/A
12/31/20251,688,633120,081128,835199,680N/A
9/30/20251,670,471121,459106,997182,938N/A
6/30/20251,649,483113,985113,674183,952N/A
3/31/20251,652,508114,147119,952188,337N/A
12/31/20241,628,448107,767134,109201,585N/A
9/30/20241,596,70782,355149,453214,123N/A
6/30/20241,582,03870,659139,855204,214N/A
3/31/20241,550,58255,523138,168201,514N/A
12/31/20231,532,57943,870136,034202,481N/A
9/30/20231,549,23260,260110,066178,015N/A
6/30/20231,555,68663,77497,267165,570N/A
3/31/20231,552,05872,61161,584138,216N/A
12/31/20221,551,05986,03853,704130,905N/A
9/30/20221,525,51985,88650,117127,386N/A
6/30/20221,477,49095,98662,493138,682N/A
3/31/20221,445,005102,16196,827165,930N/A
12/31/20211,418,768109,636104,005175,524N/A
9/30/20211,397,696122,271131,555199,903N/A
6/30/20211,390,018128,080139,706205,850N/A
3/31/20211,364,788125,196142,764207,637N/A
12/31/20201,381,997126,142144,868214,718N/A
9/30/20201,398,171130,575136,159219,384N/A
6/30/20201,448,000141,518149,880238,331N/A
3/31/20201,493,104148,438152,132250,228N/A
12/31/20191,502,241148,213N/A244,523N/A
9/30/20191,519,528157,841N/A235,072N/A
6/30/20191,500,376148,188N/A211,057N/A
3/31/20191,504,266152,364N/A195,315N/A
12/31/20181,508,007153,698N/A195,610N/A
9/30/20181,506,980150,023N/A198,007N/A
6/30/20181,501,147153,347N/A183,962N/A
3/31/20181,494,887150,615N/A183,600N/A
12/31/20171,489,421147,010N/A185,845N/A
9/30/20171,482,771136,617N/A197,472N/A
6/30/20171,475,385133,015N/A199,373N/A
3/31/20171,467,697129,919N/A189,267N/A
12/31/20161,457,610126,551N/A184,307N/A
9/30/20161,464,403117,019N/A166,421N/A
6/30/20161,476,153114,821N/A177,176N/A
3/31/20161,478,106107,647N/A179,524N/A
12/31/20151,471,79198,862N/A180,864N/A
9/30/20151,456,93997,120N/A164,223N/A
6/30/20151,430,93481,989N/A142,796N/A

Analyst Future Growth Forecasts

Earnings vs Savings Rate: 4452's forecast earnings growth (6.2% per year) is above the savings rate (0.8%).

Earnings vs Market: 4452's earnings (6.2% per year) are forecast to grow slower than the JP market (9.3% per year).

High Growth Earnings: 4452's earnings are forecast to grow, but not significantly.

Revenue vs Market: 4452's revenue (3.3% per year) is forecast to grow slower than the JP market (6% per year).

High Growth Revenue: 4452's revenue (3.3% per year) is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Earnings per Share Growth Forecasts

Future Return on Equity

Future ROE: 4452's Return on Equity is forecast to be low in 3 years time (13%).

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Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2026/06/13 19:44
End of Day Share Price 2026/06/12 00:00
Earnings2026/03/31
Annual Earnings2025/12/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.

Learn about the world class team who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.

Analyst Sources

Kao Corporation is covered by 23 analysts. 13 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Mitsuko MiyasakoBarclays
Kentaro HosodaBofA Global Research
Hiroki WatanabeCitigroup Inc