What HUL reported
Hindustan Unilever filed its investor presentation and press release on unaudited consolidated results for the quarter ended 30 June 2026 (referred to as JQ'26). The company called the quarter its highest growth in thirteen quarters, with growth driven equally by volume and price. CEO and Managing Director Priya Nair attributed the performance to "the strength of our brands, increasing competitiveness of our portfolio, and disciplined execution of our strategic priorities," against what the company described as a stable underlying demand environment amid global geopolitical volatility.
Where the growth came from
The filing breaks out performance by segment. Home Care led with 14% underlying sales growth — its highest in three years, per the company — helped by fabric wash and household care. Beauty & Wellbeing recorded 12% USG on double-digit growth in premium skin care and hair care. Foods grew 7%, with Boost crossing a ₹1,000 crore annual turnover milestone on a trailing-twelve-month basis. Personal Care trailed at 4% USG, which the company said was led by pricing as palm oil inflation persisted for a second consecutive year.
Reported profit after tax declined slightly year-on-year; the company attributed this to a one-off tax credit in the year-ago quarter, and said profit before exceptional items grew 9%.
Margin and outlook
EBITDA margin came in at 23.0%, which the company said remained within its guided range, down 40 basis points year-on-year. In its mid-term outlook, HUL said commodity volatility persists with inflationary pressures expected to continue in the short term, and that it expects consolidated EBITDA margin to stay around the current guided range. The company also said it expects FY'27 to be better than FY'26, led by portfolio and channel transformation. A Capital Markets Day is noted for 4 September 2026.