Unilever PLC’s India Unit Exits Nutritionalab as Premium Growth Push Gains Pace

Hindustan Unilever Ltd shares dropped up to 3.8% on Thursday. The decline came even after the company logged a one-time gain from spinning off its Kwality Wall’s ice cream unit. Earnings from ongoing businesses slipped year-on-year.

Hindustan Unilever Limited, one of India’s most widely owned FMCG stocks, is going through a classic “great company, tricky stock” phase.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd, one of India’s most widely held FMCG stocks, is in the spotlight today as its share price slides while the market prices in the long-awaited spin-off of its ice‑cream business, Kwality Wall’s Ltd.

Hindustan Unilever is India’s largest fast-moving-consumer-goods company, so its quarterly results are a key gauge of consumer demand. In Q2 FY26, HUL’s consolidated net profit rose 4% year-on-year to about ₹2,690 crore, aided by a one-time tax settlement gainmoneycontrol.com. Revenue grew only 2% to roughly ₹16,060 croremoneycontrol.com, as the company noted a temporary dip in consumption while trade adjusted to recent GST rate cuts and a prolonged monsoon. On a standalone basis, sales were nearly flat at ~₹15,420 crore and standalone net profit was ~₹2,690 croremoneycontrol.com. HUL’s underlying sales growth was ~2% while volumes were flat, as management said trade channels were clearing old inventories at higher tax ratesmoneycontrol.commoneycontrol.com.