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Shares of FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) declined over 6% to Rs 2,034 on the NSE on Tuesday after the company’s first quarter earnings missed analyst estimates.

The company reported a 3% year-on-year decline in net profit to Rs 2,673 crore for the first quarter of FY27. The company said the decline in PAT resulted from a one-off tax credit in the previous quarter.

Revenue from operations, however, rose 10.2% year-on-year to Rs 17,149 crore in Q1 FY27, compared with Rs 15,552 crore reported in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.

HUL reported an underlying sales growth (USG) of 10%, driven equally by volume and price, marking the company’s highest growth in thirteen quarters.

EBITDA for the quarter stood at Rs 3,947 crore, up 8% from Rs 3,640 crore in the year-ago quarter. However, the EBITDA margin declined 40 basis points to 23% from 23.4% in the same period last year, HUL said in its investor presentation.

HUL Q1 segment-wise performance

Home Care: Home Care delivered 14% USG, its highest growth in three years, driven by high-single-digit UVG. Disciplined market development and consumer-centric innovations helped strengthen market leadership while maintaining volume resilience.
Beauty & Wellbeing: The segment recorded 12% USG, supported by high-single-digit UVG. Hair Care posted double-digit USG, led by Premium Hair Care, including future formats, while continuing to strengthen market leadership. Skin Care and Colour Cosmetics delivered high-single-digit USG, driven by double-digit growth in Premium Skin Care.
Personal Care: Personal Care reported 4% USG, led by pricing as palm oil inflation persisted for the second consecutive year. Skin Cleansing recorded mid-single-digit USG, with Premium Bars delivering competitive volume-led double-digit growth. The segment also strengthened its market leadership in Bodywash.

Foods: Foods delivered 7% USG, driven by mid-single-digit UVG and continued strong performance in Lifestyle Nutrition and Coffee. Premium Tea recorded low-single-digit UVG, while Coffee delivered double-digit, volume-led growth, with RTD and Bru Gold continuing to scale up. Lifestyle Nutrition maintained its double-digit growth momentum. Boost crossed the Rs 1,000 crore annual turnover milestone, while Horlicks Superfoods and RTD continued to see encouraging traction.

HUL outlook

HUL expects FY27 to be better than FY26, led by portfolio and channel transformation. Commodity volatility continues to persist, with inflationary pressures expected to remain in the short term.

The company expects consolidated EBITDA margin to remain around the current guided range, while its focus remains on driving competitive, volume-led revenue growth anchored to its key priorities.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

The FTSE 100 giant revealed it would launch a new £1bn share buyback after pre-tax profit jumped 17 per cent from the prior year

Barclays profit soared beyond forecasts in the second quarter as widespread market turbulence drove an exceptional showing in its equities trading arm.

The FTSE 100 banking giant announced it would initiate a fresh £1bn share buyback programme after pre-tax profit climbed 17 per cent year-on-year to £6.1bn over the first six months. The figure surpassed City analysts’ expectations of £5.9bn.

The British bank reported income for the three months ending in June of £8.2bn, representing a £2.1bn increase on the corresponding quarter last year.

The lender’s investment banking division capitalised on extensive market volatility during the second quarter triggered by the conflict in Iran, as reported by City AM.

Revenue in the unit advanced 20 per cent, propelled by the showing of its global banking operations and investment banking fees. Overall investment banking income reached £3.95bn, exceeding the £3.65bn forecast by City analysts.

Revenue from its equities trading arm surged 45 per cent compared with the equivalent period last year to £1.26bn. That result lagged behind Wall Street banks, which posted an average 69 per cent rise in equities over the same timeframe, boosted by the substantial SpaceX initial public offering that helped drive US earnings.

Chief executive CS Venkatarishnan, known as Venkat, is pursuing an agenda to overhaul the bank’s investment banking operation, committing to reduce its proportion of group risk-weighted assets. Barclays‘ private bank and wealth management division (PBWM) also posted a five per cent rise in income to £713m, underpinned by growth in client balances.

Chris Beauchamp, Chief Market Analyst at investing and trading platform IG, said: “With the share price sitting at post financial crisis highs there is little room for error for Barclays, but these results provide the reassurance that the group is well-placed for the rest of the year.

“A solid run for the investment banking division helps allay concerns around the size of the motor finance claims, and for now the bigger concern will be how the deeply uncertain outlook for the global economy will play out in the months to come.”

The bank declared a dividend of 5.9p per share, up from 3p per share in the previous year.

The lender also revised its 2026 income target upwards to approximately £31.5bn, citing “robust growth” within its investment banking arm.

Shares of Tata Power were trading about 1% lower at Rs 373 during Tuesday’s session, even as Wall Street brokerage Morgan Stanley maintained its “Equal Weight” rating on the stock. The brokerage retained its target price of Rs 399 following the company’s decent Q1 FY27 performance, which saw net profit rise 11% year-on-year and revenue grow 8%.
In an exchange filing dated July 27, Tata Power reported a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 1,401 crore for Q1FY27, compared with Rs 1,262 crore in the same quarter last year, marking an 11% year-on-year growth.

The company’s revenue from operations increased to Rs 18,898 crore in Q1FY27 from Rs 17,464 crore in Q1FY26, registering an 8% YoY growth. EBITDA also improved by 8% to Rs 4,249 crore from Rs 3,930 crore in the corresponding quarter.

Tata Power deployed its highest-ever quarterly capital expenditure of Rs 5,375 crore during Q1FY27 as it accelerated investments across renewable energy, transmission, distribution, and clean energy infrastructure.

The company’s core businesses, including Generation, Transmission & Distribution, and Renewables, delivered strong growth, supported by improved operational efficiency. These segments recorded a 12% increase in revenue, a 12% rise in EBITDA, and a 14% growth in PAT on a year-on-year basis.

Tata Power’s renewable energy segment continued to be a key growth driver, with PAT rising 15% YoY to Rs 612 crore in Q1FY27.
The company’s solar manufacturing business reported a sharp improvement, with Solar Cell and Module Manufacturing PAT jumping nearly 3.9 times year-on-year to Rs 371 crore.
The rooftop solar business also witnessed strong momentum, with PAT increasing 1.7 times YoY to Rs 145 crore, supported by higher adoption across consumer segments and nationwide project execution.
The Transmission & Distribution (T&D) business reported PAT of Rs 492 crore and EBITDA of Rs 1,541 crore in Q1FY27, reflecting growth of 11% and 14%, respectively.

Tata Power’s Odisha DISCOM operations posted PAT growth of 6% YoY to Rs 111 crore. The company also became the first private utility in the state to cross the milestone of one crore registered customers.

The company is also progressing with its pumped hydro storage expansion plans, with 324 MW of the 1,000 MW Bhivpuri Pumped Storage Project capacity already tied up with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

Morgan Stanley maintains ‘Equal Weight’ rating

According to an ET Now report, global brokerage firm Morgan Stanley has retained its “Equal Weight” rating on Tata Power with a target price of Rs 399.

The brokerage noted that Tata Power’s quarterly performance was broadly in line with expectations, supported by consistent earnings growth across its diversified business portfolio.

Management outlook

Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Power, said the company is well positioned to participate in India’s transition toward reliable, round-the-clock clean energy. He highlighted the company’s integrated renewable energy approach combining solar, wind, battery storage, and pumped storage solutions.

He added that capital expenditure worth over Rs 5,000 crore during the quarter has strengthened Tata Power’s growth roadmap, while milestones such as the return of Mundra plant operations, strong rooftop solar expansion, and cross-border energy partnerships reinforce its position as an integrated power major.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)