Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) on Tuesday reported a 10.69 percent rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,185 crore for the second quarter ended September 30.
The company had posted a net profit of Rs 1,974 crore in the July-September quarter of the previous fiscal.
Its revenue from sales during the quarter under review stood at Rs 12,812 crore, up 11.31 percent, against Rs 11,510 crore a year ago, HUL said in a regulatory filing.
HUL's total expenses were at Rs 10,129 crore in Q2 FY2021-22 compared to Rs 9,054 crore in the year-ago period. HUL CMD Sanjiv Mehta said: "September quarter witnessed a sequential improvement in trading conditions, albeit remained challenging with unprecedented levels of input cost inflation and subdued consumer sentiments. In this backdrop, we have delivered a strong performance, growing topline in double digits and stepping up profitability sequentially".
Large parts of the HUL business continue to gain market shares and penetration. "Calibrated price increases and laser-sharp focus on savings have helped us protect our business model while ensuring the right price-value equation for our consumers," he said.
Over the outlook, Mehta said HUL remains "cautiously optimistic about demand recovery".
"In these times of uncertainty and unprecedented input cost inflation, we continue to firmly focus on delivering consistent, competitive, profitable and responsible growth," he noted.
Shares of HUL on Tuesday were trading at Rs 2,720.95 apiece on BSE, up 2.52 percent from the previous close.
At close of trading, shares of HUL were down 3.64 percent at Rs 2,557.30.
