HUL: Higher costs, volume and market share focus could hit profitability

The near term could see some pressures on the gross margin which was down 150 basis points y-o-y in the quarter

Hindustan Unilever’s Septe­mber quarter results were broadly in line with Street expectations of sequential recovery and volume/value growth in the 1-3 per cent range. What stood out was the 19 per cent uptick in the food and refreshment category, adjusted for the GSK Consumer Healthcare acquisition. While the other two categories of homecare and beauty and personal care posted a sequential recovery, they are yet to return to growth compared with the year-ago quarter. 

Double-digit growth rates for the food business, led by higher in-home consumption of Knorr and Kisan portfolio and calibrated price hikes in the tea segment, spurred sales