Hindustan Unilever disclosed a 3.8% increase in consolidated net profit, reaching ₹2,796 crore, while revenue surged 14.4% to ₹18,386 crore in the September quarter—its first quarterly profit lift in 14 quarters. Underlying sales grew 15%, with volume expanding 7% from 5% in June, and prices up 8% across the board.
Priya Nair, MD & CEO, said the company is seeing growth in both urban and rural markets, noting a sequential uptick in rural business over the last four quarters, though she did not break out the numbers.
CFO Niranjan Gupta explained that the firm’s price increases are calibrated to match absolute cost rises; he added that further hikes will be evaluated as commodity inflation persists.
Home‑care, the segment with the highest volume growth at 22%, posted a 21.4% revenue rise to ₹6,878 crore but its margin slipped to 16.2% from 19.1%, a lag he attributed to steep input cost swings in petrochem‑based raw materials.
The next step for HUL is to announce its pricing strategy in the upcoming earnings call, where it will outline how it plans to shore up volumes and protect margins in a high‑cost environment.