Hindustan Unilever Limited
FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on Thursday released the results of its second quarter (July-September) of financial year 2025-26. The company’s total net profit stood at ₹2,685 crore, which is about 3.6% more than ₹2,591 crore in the same quarter last year. The main reason for the increase in the company’s profit was a one-time gain of ₹273 crore from the settlement of old tax disputes, which came from the cases settled between the tax authorities of India and Britain.
HUL’s revenue increased by about 1.98% to ₹ 16,241 crore in this quarter, which was ₹ 15,926 crore last year. The EBITDA of the company stood at ₹ 3,729 crore, which is slightly less than ₹ 3,793 crore last year. EBITDA margin has declined by 90 basis points to 23.2%. The board of directors of the company has declared an interim dividend of ₹19 per share. Its record date has been fixed as 7 November 2025.
The company said that the results of this quarter were affected by changes in GST and long monsoon. However, HUL believes that the new GST reforms made by the government will help in increasing consumption in the long run and improving the purchasing power of the people. HUL CEO and MD Priya Nair said, this quarter was a bit slow due to the impact of GST changes, but the situation will become normal from the beginning of November. After the prices stabilize, the market will gradually move towards improvement. The profit level will remain around the current situation so that investment in the business can be continued.
Business segment performance
There was a sales growth of 5% in the beauty and well-being segment. Skin care and health products performed well, while the hair care segment maintained its lead in the market. Sales in the personal care segment remained almost stable. Skin cleaning is performing well with double-digit growth in premium soaps, while body wash has gained momentum.
There was a slight decline in oral care, although close-up registered a slight growth. Foods segment saw sales growth of 3%. Both tea and coffee showed double-digit growth, with tea in particular showing a good balance between price and volume. Lifestyle Nutrition also showed initial positive signs of volume growth. However, packed foods were affected by the GST changes, due to which overall sales were slightly slow. Overall, HUL has delivered a stable performance even in the challenging quarter and is hopeful of a market recovery in the coming months.