Kimberly-Clark says price hikes for things like Huggies diapers helped to lift profits in the fourth quarter.

The company, based in Dallas, earned $492 million, or $1.17 per share, for the three months ended Dec. 31. That's 17 percent higher than its profit of $419 million, or $1.01 per share, a year ago.

Sales jumped 8 percent to $4.98 billion, helped by a weaker dollar and the higher selling prices. Kimberly-Clark Corp. raised prices last year to offset higher ingredient costs and hasn't rolled them back even as those input costs fall.

Analysts forecast earnings of $1.25 per share on $4.92 billion in sales.

The company expects a 2010 adjusted profit of $4.80 to $5 per share with revenue growth of 5 percent to 6 percent.