Latest news with #PriyaNair
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
HUL's new CEO Priya Nair has to invigorate a sluggish consumer giant
Hindustan Unilever Ltd .'s new Chief Executive Officer Priya Nair is inheriting India's largest consumer goods maker that has seen stuttering growth in the last few years. While the Indian unit of Unilever Plc posted a forecast-beating quarterly profit last week, Nair, who took over the CEO role on Aug. 1, has her task cut out in sustaining this momentum. The company's stock has inched up about 4% in the last three years while the benchmark NSE Nifty 50 index surged almost 42%. Its volume growth has been sluggish. Sales expansion has been a fraction of the 2022 levels while disruptor local brands are eating into its market share across product categories. Often seen as the bellwether of the consumer sentiment in the world's most-populous nation, Hindustan Unilever, or HUL , also was dragged down by a consumption slowdown in India over the past year. So strong was investor disappointment that the sudden announcement about Rohit Jawa stepping down as the CEO half-way through his term to make way for Nair stoked a stock rally on July 11. The first woman CEO for HUL was earlier serving as the president for the beauty unit and the Global Chief Marketing Officer at the London-based parent. Nair has led the Indian unit's home care, beauty and wellbeing businesses in the past. Nuvama Wealth Management called Nair 'a more aggressive leader' in a note soon after her appointment was announced. Nair's 'focus remains on delivering volume-led competitive growth that is profitable and sustainable,' a representative for Unilever's India unit said in an email. The company will 'share more details at an appropriate time.' Not Kept Pace Hindustan Unilever 'has had a problem for multiple years,' said Arvind Singhal, founder at retail consultancy Technopak Advisors. 'India has been changing rapidly and they haven't been able to keep pace with India's changes.' The seller of Bru coffee and Dove soaps was battling a consumer demand slowdown in the past few quarters as picky city buyers chose to spend less or switched to artisanal products. Hindustan Unilever gets about two-thirds of its sales from urban India, while rural areas contribute the rest. 'The firm will have to have a fresh distribution strategy and rejig margin structure,' Singhal said. It will also need to 'develop new products,' and figure out the categories which can be rebuilt, he said. Sales growth in the recent past has been tepid too, dragged down by global price volatility in raw materials like palm oil and coffee, though the June quarter saw the return of revenue expansion. Nair will also be in the global spotlight. Unilever's new CEO Fernando Fernandez told analysts last week after its quarterly earnings that it would be investing a 'disproportionate' amount in the US and India, adding that 'momentum is building in India.' India is Unilever's second-largest market by revenue after the US and the largest by volume. Fernandez praised Nair's 'deep understanding of our home and personal care business in India that she successfully ran for many years.' She also has the international markets knowledge to keep the company's portfolio in turn with consumer needs, he said. HUL's beauty and personal care segments — they contribute over a third of HUL's sales — have been hit by rising competition from local startups like Honasa Consumer Ltd., with its Mamaearth brand, and global rivals like L'Oreal SA pushing hard into India. Jawa, Nair's predecessor, tried to double down on premiumization through the firm's 'ASPIRE' strategy by upgrading its legacy brands, adding new brands and spending on digital push. In January, HUL acquired skincare upstart Minimalist for 26.7 billion rupees ($305 million), in one of the biggest local deals for a cosmetics startup. Ratings Upgrade At least three brokerages including Goldman Sachs upgraded their ratings outlook on HUL on Friday and at least 17 analysts, including Jefferies and Citi, raised their price target for the stock, signaling that Nair has the wind at her back. 'We look forward to an update on the strategy' as the new CEO takes over, Jefferies analysts including Vivek Maheshwari wrote in a note Friday.
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Business Standard
04-08-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Unilever India's new CEO tasked with invigorating a sluggish consumer giant
Hindustan Unilever Ltd.'s new Chief Executive Officer Priya Nair is inheriting India's largest consumer goods maker that has seen stuttering growth in the last few years. The company's stock has inched up about 4% in the last three years while the benchmark NSE Nifty 50 index surged almost 42%. Its volume growth has been sluggish. Sales expansion has been a fraction of the 2022 levels while disruptor local brands are eating into its market share across product categories. Often seen as the bellwether of the consumer sentiment in the world's most-populous nation, Hindustan Unilever, or HUL, also was dragged down by a consumption slowdown in India over the past year. So strong was investor disappointment that the sudden announcement about Rohit Jawa stepping down as the CEO half-way through his term to make way for Nair stoked a stock rally on July 11. The first woman CEO for HUL was earlier serving as the president for the beauty unit and the Global Chief Marketing Officer at the London-based parent. Nair has led the Indian unit's home care, beauty and wellbeing businesses in the past. Nuvama Wealth Management called Nair 'a more aggressive leader' in a note soon after her appointment was announced. Nair's 'focus remains on delivering volume-led competitive growth that is profitable and sustainable,' a representative for Unilever's India unit said in an email. The company will 'share more details at an appropriate time.' Not kept pace Hindustan Unilever 'has had a problem for multiple years,' said Arvind Singhal, founder at retail consultancy Technopak Advisors. 'India has been changing rapidly and they haven't been able to keep pace with India's changes.' The seller of Bru coffee and Dove soaps was battling a consumer demand slowdown in the past few quarters as picky city buyers chose to spend less or switched to artisanal products. Hindustan Unilever gets about two-thirds of its sales from urban India, while rural areas contribute the rest. 'The firm will have to have a fresh distribution strategy and rejig margin structure,' Singhal said. It will also need to 'develop new products,' and figure out the categories which can be rebuilt, he said. Sales growth in the recent past has been tepid too, dragged down by global price volatility in raw materials like palm oil and coffee, though the June quarter saw the return of revenue expansion. Nair will also be in the global spotlight. Unilever's new CEO Fernando Fernandez told analysts last week after its quarterly earnings that it would be investing a 'disproportionate' amount in the US and India, adding that 'momentum is building in India.' India is Unilever's second-largest market by revenue after the US and the largest by volume. Fernandez praised Nair's 'deep understanding of our home and personal care business in India that she successfully ran for many years.' She also has the international markets knowledge to keep the company's portfolio in turn with consumer needs, he said. HUL's beauty and personal care segments — they contribute over a third of HUL's sales — have been hit by rising competition from local startups like Honasa Consumer Ltd., with its Mamaearth brand, and global rivals like L'Oreal SA pushing hard into India. Jawa, Nair's predecessor, tried to double down on premiumization through the firm's 'ASPIRE' strategy by upgrading its legacy brands, adding new brands and spending on digital push. In January, HUL acquired skincare upstart Minimalist for 26.7 billion rupees ($305 million), in one of the biggest local deals for a cosmetics startup. Ratings upgrade At least three brokerages including Goldman Sachs upgraded their ratings outlook on HUL on Friday and at least 17 analysts, including Jefferies and Citi, raised their price target for the stock, signaling that Nair has the wind at her back. 'We look forward to an update on the strategy' as the new CEO takes over, Jefferies analysts including Vivek Maheshwari wrote in a note Friday.
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Unilever India's new CEO Priya Nair has to invigorate a sluggish consumer giant
Hindustan Unilever Ltd .'s new Chief Executive Officer Priya Nair is inheriting India's largest consumer goods maker that has seen stuttering growth in the last few years. While the Indian unit of Unilever Plc posted a forecast-beating quarterly profit last week, Nair, who took over the CEO role on Aug. 1, has her task cut out in sustaining this momentum. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Degree Project Management CXO Operations Management Technology Management Product Management others Others Data Science Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity Public Policy MCA healthcare Leadership Data Science MBA Design Thinking Digital Marketing Data Analytics Finance PGDM Healthcare Skills you'll gain: Data-Driven Decision-Making Strategic Leadership and Transformation Global Business Acumen Comprehensive Business Expertise Duration: 2 Years University of Western Australia UWA Global MBA Starts on Jun 28, 2024 Get Details The company's stock has inched up about 4% in the last three years while the benchmark NSE Nifty 50 index surged almost 42%. Its volume growth has been sluggish. Sales expansion has been a fraction of the 2022 levels while disruptor local brands are eating into its market share across product categories. Often seen as the bellwether of the consumer sentiment in the world's most-populous nation, Hindustan Unilever, or HUL , also was dragged down by a consumption slowdown in India over the past year. So strong was investor disappointment that the sudden announcement about Rohit Jawa stepping down as the CEO half-way through his term to make way for Nair stoked a stock rally on July 11. Live Events The first woman CEO for HUL was earlier serving as the president for the beauty unit and the Global Chief Marketing Officer at the London-based parent. Nair has led the Indian unit's home care, beauty and wellbeing businesses in the past. Nuvama Wealth Management called Nair 'a more aggressive leader' in a note soon after her appointment was announced. Nair's 'focus remains on delivering volume-led competitive growth that is profitable and sustainable,' a representative for Unilever's India unit said in an email. The company will 'share more details at an appropriate time.' Not Kept Pace Hindustan Unilever 'has had a problem for multiple years,' said Arvind Singhal, founder at retail consultancy Technopak Advisors. 'India has been changing rapidly and they haven't been able to keep pace with India's changes.' The seller of Bru coffee and Dove soaps was battling a consumer demand slowdown in the past few quarters as picky city buyers chose to spend less or switched to artisanal products. Hindustan Unilever gets about two-thirds of its sales from urban India, while rural areas contribute the rest. 'The firm will have to have a fresh distribution strategy and rejig margin structure,' Singhal said. It will also need to 'develop new products,' and figure out the categories which can be rebuilt, he said. Sales growth in the recent past has been tepid too, dragged down by global price volatility in raw materials like palm oil and coffee, though the June quarter saw the return of revenue expansion. Nair will also be in the global spotlight. Unilever's new CEO Fernando Fernandez told analysts last week after its quarterly earnings that it would be investing a 'disproportionate' amount in the US and India, adding that 'momentum is building in India.' India is Unilever's second-largest market by revenue after the US and the largest by volume. Fernandez praised Nair's 'deep understanding of our home and personal care business in India that she successfully ran for many years.' She also has the international markets knowledge to keep the company's portfolio in turn with consumer needs, he said. HUL's beauty and personal care segments — they contribute over a third of HUL's sales — have been hit by rising competition from local startups like Honasa Consumer Ltd., with its Mamaearth brand, and global rivals like L'Oreal SA pushing hard into India. Jawa, Nair's predecessor, tried to double down on premiumization through the firm's 'ASPIRE' strategy by upgrading its legacy brands, adding new brands and spending on digital push. In January, HUL acquired skincare upstart Minimalist for 26.7 billion rupees ($305 million), in one of the biggest local deals for a cosmetics startup. Ratings Upgrade At least three brokerages including Goldman Sachs upgraded their ratings outlook on HUL on Friday and at least 17 analysts, including Jefferies and Citi, raised their price target for the stock, signaling that Nair has the wind at her back. 'We look forward to an update on the strategy' as the new CEO takes over, Jefferies analysts including Vivek Maheshwari wrote in a note Friday.
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Business Standard
01-08-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
HUL gains 11% in two days of posting Q1 results; most brokerages hike TP
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) Q1 results review: Shares of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) gained 8.1 per cent in trade on Friday, Auguat 1, 2025, logging an intra-day high at ₹2728.1 per share on BSE. The stock jumped nearly 11 per cent in two days as Dalal Street cheered the company's turnaround growth in Q1FY26. At 9:19 AM, HUL share price was at ₹2639.1 per share, higher by 4.65 per cent. In comparison, Sensex was down 0.22 per cent at 81,010.67. HUL Q1 results HUL reported its Q1FY26 results on Thursday, during market hours. The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) giant reported a 5.6 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) rise in its consolidated net profit for the April–June quarter of 2025-26 (Q1FY26) to ₹2,756 crore, topping Bloomberg's consensus estimate of ₹2,608 crore. The company said part of the year-on-year profit increase was due to a one-time tax gain resulting from a re-estimation of provisions tied to the potential disallowance of certain prior-year expenses. HUL's profit before interest, depreciation, and tax (PBIDT) declined 4.0 per cent in the quarter under review to ₹3,791 crore. However, revenue rose 5.1 per cent Y-o-Y, at a seven-quarter high, to ₹16,514 crore, beating the street estimate of ₹16,076 crore. Sequentially, HUL revenue was up 5.4 per cent, and its net profit expanded 11.9 per cent. How do brokerages view HUL post Q1 results? Nuvama Institutional Equities has maintained a 'Buy' call but has raised its target price to ₹3,240 per share from ₹3,055 based on a strong growth turnaround. Further, the brokerage believes tea and coffee prices are expected to correct in FY26 primarily due to a strong crop, which will give more firepower to HUL to invest back in the company, ultimately leading to sustainable volume growth. Emkay Global Financial Services has also continued with 'Add', while increasing the target to ₹2,700 per share from ₹2,400, factoring in better growth and expected improvement in execution under the new leadership. Global brokerage UBS has also maintained 'Buy' and has hiked the target to ₹3,000 from ₹2,800, according to reports. The brokerage believes better-than-expected volume growth portends a better outlook. Additionally, risk-reward is turning "very favourable" for HUL, the brokerage noted. Under new leadership of CEO Priya Nair, Emkay expects the company to focus on execution, where the focus initially will be to get the team in order and then align the portfolio with evolving consumer needs. Unilever in its H1CY25 results has emphasised on its focus on beauty and wellbeing and personal care; also, it is looking at disproportionate investment in the US and India. ICICI Securities continued with an 'Add' rating with an unchanged target of ₹2,850 per share. The brokerage reckons that HUL is on the verge of revenue acceleration. Improving macros combined with good (innovation) work on key brands like Glow & Lovely, Lifebuoy, Lux (read micros) and inflection in growth in categories of the future may potentially accelerate revenue growth in FY25-27 and beyond, according to the brokerage.
News18
01-08-2025
- Business
- News18
HUL Share Price Jumps 12% In Two Sessions As Brokerages Hike Targets; Should You Invest?
Last Updated: HUL Share Price: The FMCG major's stock has now jumped nearly 12% in just two sessions as investors cheered its growth during Q1FY26. HUL Share Price Today HUL Share Price Today: Shares of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) surged 8.2% in Friday's trade on August 1, 2025, hitting an intraday high of Rs 2,728.1 per share on the BSE. The FMCG major's stock has now jumped nearly 12% in just two sessions as investors cheered its turnaround in growth during Q1FY26. At 9:19 AM, HUL was trading at Rs 2,639.1 per share, up 4.65%, while the Sensex was down 0.22% at 81,010.67. HUL Q1FY26 Results HUL reported a 5.6% year-on-year (YoY) rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,756 crore for the April–June quarter, surpassing Bloomberg's consensus estimate of Rs 2,608 crore. The company said part of the profit growth was due to a one-time tax gain stemming from a re-estimation of provisions related to the potential disallowance of certain prior-year expenses. The company's profit before interest, depreciation, and tax (PBIDT) declined 4% YoY to Rs 3,791 crore. However, revenue rose 5.1% YoY to Rs 16,514 crore, a seven-quarter high and above the street estimate of Rs 16,076 crore. Sequentially, revenue grew 5.4% and net profit expanded 11.9%. Emkay Global Financial Services also upgraded its target to Rs 2,700 from Rs 2,400 while keeping an 'Add' rating. The brokerage cited better growth visibility and improved execution under the new leadership of CEO Priya Nair. UBS, a global brokerage, maintained its 'Buy' rating and raised the target to Rs 3,000 from Rs 2,800. It highlighted better-than-expected volume growth and said the risk-reward setup for HUL is turning 'very favourable." ICICI Securities continued with an 'Add' rating and an unchanged target of Rs 2,850, stating that HUL is on the verge of revenue acceleration. The brokerage expects category innovation and growth in future-facing segments to boost performance in FY25–27. Motilal Oswal reiterated its 'Buy' call with a stable target of Rs 3,000, noting that volume-driven growth under the new CEO is likely to gather further momentum. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
