Kimberly-Clark Corp said 2011 earnings could come in toward the low end of its forecast, even as it topped Wall Street's second-quarter expectations, as the maker of Kleenex tissues deals with higher prices for materials such as pulp and polypropylene.

The company on Monday said it earned $408 million, or $1.03 per share, in the second quarter, down from $498 million, or $1.20 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding certain items, earnings per share were $1.18, coming in ahead of analysts' $1.14 forecast, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The maker of Huggies diapers, Kotex feminine care products and a host of other goods said sales rose 8.3 percent to $5.26 billion, topping analysts' forecast of $5.13 billion.

Kimberly-Clark still expects to earn $4.80 to $5.05 per share this year, excluding special items. However, without some moderation in input costs, its profit is more likely to be in the lower half of that range, Chief Executive Thomas Falk said in a statement.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl)