Hindustan Unilever's Fiscal First-Quarter Net Profit Down 3%; Revenue Jumps 10%
Hindustan Unilever (BOM:500696, NSE:HINDUNILVR) reported a 3% year-over-year drop in attributable net profit in the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, despite posting higher revenue.Attributable net profit slipped to 26.7 billion rupees from 27.6 billion rupees a year earlier, according to an Indian bourse filing on Tuesday.Earnings per share fell to 11.38 yuan from 11.62 yuan.Net profit was weighed down by a one-off tax credit of 3.3 billion rupees in the year-ago period.The Indian consumer goods maker posted a 10.4% year-over-year jump in revenue to 171.5 billion rupees from 155.5 billion rupees.During the company's earnings call, CEO and Managing Director Priya Nair told analysts that the revenue growth of 10% was driven equally by volume and price."This represents our highest growth in 13 quarters. It reflects the result of decisive actions taken to transform our portfolio, sharpen execution, and strengthen market development," Nair said, according to a transcript of the call published by Investing.com.CFO Niranjan Gupta attributed the revenue jump to the 5% increase in underlying volume growth across product lines."Fabric wash delivered a broad-based double-digit volume-led growth. Bars and powders sustained their step-up, while liquids grew competitively and accelerated its double-digit growth trajectory," said Gupta.By segment, Home Care delivered a 14% jump in underlying sales, the fastest in three years, while underlying sales growth across the Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, and Foods segments rose 12%, 4% and 7%, respectively.Looking ahead, Gupta said the company expects fiscal 2026-2027 to be "better" than fiscal 2025-2026."While commodities and currencies remain elevated, our approach remains consistent and disciplined, driving structural savings, taking calibrated pricing actions, and making judicious media investments," Gupta added.
