Hindustan Unilever

HUL's Q2 revenue rises 15% as volume growth improves, but higher raw material costs squeeze margins; analysts see potential for a recovery in the stock

The FMCG major recorded its highest underlying sales growth in 14 quarters at 15 per cent, while net sales increased 14.5 per cent to ₹18,226 crore

Hindustan Unilever share price swung in a range of 5% after the company reported 4% growth in Q2 consolidated net profit.

Q2FY27 company results: Firms including Hyundai Motor India, Meesho, Info Edge (India) (Naukri), Pidilite Industries, and Vedanta are also to release their July-September earnings today

On a continuing-operations basis, reported PAT was flat at ₹2,796 crore, while PAT before exceptional items grew 9% and Ebitda margin fell 140 basis points

Analysts flag that over the years the market closed the valuation gap built for double-digit growth in these FMCG stocks, as earnings remained muted owing to tepid volume growth and high inflation.

HUL is betting on premiumisation, consumption and new categories to drive volume-led growth, but analysts await clarity on the pace and timeline of recovery

Leading FMCG company Hindustan Unilever is targeting a 22-24 per cent EBITDA margin in the medium term and stepping up capital expenditure to 3 per cent of its turnover to chase growth. The FMCG major plans to increase capital expenditure (capex) to "enable growth and productivity" from 2 per cent, the level it maintained over the last five years, to 3 per cent, as it looks to capture the "New India opportunity" with consumption growth. Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), part of Unilever Plc, the British multinational consumer packaged goods company, registered a revenue of Rs 63,763 crore in FY26 and has 21 brands in its portfolio, each with turnover of more than Rs 1,000 crore. It sells 85 billion packs in a year and has a wide reach of 9 million outlets. The company, which is focusing on cost management, has an EBITDA margin of 23.6 per cent for FY26, down by about 70 basis points year-on-year. HUL, which aspires to "volume-led profit growth", is "shaping the portfolio structurally .

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India and Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) on Monday announced a new phase of their partnership to strengthen an inclusive circular economy for plastics, with a target to support 50,000 Safai Mitras and waste management systems across 50 cities by 2028. Building on seven years of collaboration, the partnership will focus on four areas -- social inclusion, strengthening urban waste management systems, improving recycling efficiency, and knowledge transfer, a joint statement said. Under the social inclusion component, the programme will work towards formalising and improving livelihoods of 50,000 Safai Mitras, with a particular focus on women, it said. It will also support 50 cities and urban local bodies (ULBs) in developing efficient, decentralised and resilient end-to-end waste management systems, besides improving segregation at source and strengthening recovery and recycling practices across value chains, it said. The partnership is

Leading consumer companies, including Hindustan Unilever and Asian Paints, are planning price hikes ahead of the festive season as higher commodity costs and inflationary pressures squeeze margins

HUL shares recover as investors focus on stronger FY27 growth outlook, steady margins and improving demand despite commodity cost pressures

Steady volume growth and stable outlook drive their positive stance on HUL, with the recent correction suggesting that downside risks are limited. Brokerage targets signal an 18-24 per cent upside.

Hindustan Unilever's net profit declined on a high tax-credit base, while net sales rose 10 per cent and underlying volume growth stood at 5 per cent in Q1FY27

The FMCG major said India will be a key contributor to Unilever's long-term growth as it continues investing to strengthen market leadership across categories

The US-Israel war on Iran has saddled corporations worldwide with higher energy, freight and commodity costs, squeezing margins and prompting price increases

Underlying volume growth was 5 per cent, while EBITDA rose 8 per cent to ₹3,947 crore and its margin narrowed 40 basis points to 23 per cent year-on-year

Q1FY27 company results: Firms including Ambuja Cements, Suzlon Energy, Birlasoft, Tata Capital, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance, and Pine Labs are also to release their April-June earnings today

HUL Q1 earnings preview: Analysts expect Hindustan Unilever's revenue to increase by 7-10 per cent, on the back of 5-7 per cent volume growth. PAT may rise by 10 per cent in the first quarter.

India's top FMCG companies presented a mixed picture on staff strength in 2025-26, with Hindustan Unilever and Dabur trimming their permanent workforce even as most players in the sector raised median employee remuneration, according to disclosures in their annual reports. While Nestle India, Marico and Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) added to their headcount during the fiscal, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Dabur saw a decline in permanent employees on their rolls, the filings showed. Median remuneration increases across companies in FY26 ranged between 6.08 per cent and 12.1 per cent, with Tata Consumer Products leading and HUL trailing among the five majors. HUL's permanent employee count fell to 5,898 as of March 31, 2026, from 6,604 a year earlier, a reduction of over 700 employees. The percentage increase in the median remuneration of employees for the financial year was 6.08 per cent, lower than the 8.39 per cent increase recorded in FY25. However, in FY26, the average sala

HUL chairman says higher commodity costs following the West Asia conflict will weigh on Q1, but expects easing ahead and says the company remains well placed to manage short-term volatility