Hindustan Unilever Q4 profit up 15 per cent, beats estimates

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has reported a 14.65 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 787.20 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2013.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 686.61 crore in the same period of last year.

"Net sales of the company rose by 12.48 per cent to Rs 6,367.14 crore for the January-March, 2013 quarter, against Rs 5,660.48 crore in the corresponding period of previous fiscal," HUL said in a statement.

For 2012-13, the company's net profit rose by 37.20 per cent to Rs 3,828.98 crore on a consolidated basis, against Rs 2,790.66 crore in 2011-12.

On a consolidated basis, the net sales of the company for 2012-13 rose to Rs 26,317.15 crore from Rs 22,987.73 crore in the previous financial year.

The company's board recommended a final dividend of Rs 6 for the financial year ended March 31, 2013, on equity shares of Re 1 each.

Shares of HUL were trading at Rs 489.40 on the Bombay Stock Exchange in late afternoon trade, up 5.21 per cent from their previous close.