Hindustan Unilever net profit up 11 pct, beats forecast

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Hindustan Unilever Ltd said on Monday its fourth-quarter net profit rose 11 percent year-on-year, beating analyst estimates even as its sales lagged estimates.

The Indian unit of Anglo-Dutch Unilever Plc made a net profit of 8.7 billion rupees ($143.4 million) for the quarter ending March 31, compared with a profit of 7.87 billion rupees in the same period a year earlier.

Sales at India's largest manufacturer of household products and consumer goods rose 8.9 percent to 69.4 billion rupees, lower than estimates.

Analysts had expected a net profit of 8.5 billion rupees and net sales of 70 billion rupees for the quarter, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine Estimates.

 

($1 = 60.6550 rupees)

(Reporting by Nandita Bose; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)