Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) reported a sharp rise in Q3FY26 profit after a one-time gain from its ice cream demerger. The company reported a profit after tax of ₹6,603 crore for the December quarter. Turnover rose 6% year on year to ₹16,235 crore.
Core profit did not rise at the same pace. Profit after tax from continuing business fell 30% to ₹2,118 crore, even as HUL delivered 4% underlying volume growth.
HUL said the ice cream demerger lifted reported earnings through discontinued operations. In the consolidated summary, profit from discontinued business stood at ₹4,485 crore. Reported profit after tax rose 121% from ₹2,989 crore in the year-ago quarter.
The company linked the uplift to scheme accounting and portfolio actions. HUL recorded exceptional items of ₹ 576 crore within continuing operations. Profit after tax before exceptional items from continuing operations came in at ₹2,562 crore, up 1% year on year.
HUL also disclosed key timeline details for the separation. The company received approvals for the Scheme of Arrangement and said it became effective on December 1, 2025. It then presented the ice cream business results separately as discontinued operations under Ind AS requirements.
In its standalone results, HUL recognised a gain on demerger of ₹4,611 crore as an exceptional item. The filing said this gain reflected the difference between fair value and the carrying amount of net assets.
HUL reported turnover of ₹16,235 crore in Q3FY26, up 6% year on year. The company delivered 5% underlying sales growth, led by 4% underlying volume growth.
EBITDA rose 3% to ₹3,788 crore during the quarter. EBITDA margin declined 70 basis points to 23.3% from 24.0% a year earlier.
Segment performance showed steady growth with variations across categories. Home Care remained the largest segment with revenue of ₹5,887 crore. Beauty & Wellbeing revenue reached ₹3,930 crore. Personal Care reported ₹2,370 crore, while Foods delivered ₹3,689 crore.
Other businesses, including exports, added ₹565 crore in revenue. Total segment revenue from continuing operations stood at ₹16,441 crore, as shown in the segment table.
Alongside earnings, HUL announced portfolio moves tied to its health and wellbeing bets. The board approved the acquisition of the remaining 49% stake in Zywie Ventures Private Limited, subject to customary closing conditions. The company said this approval did not change the Q3FY26 results.
HUL also approved the sale and divestment of the group’s stake in Nutritionalab Private Limited. The filing described Nutritionalab as an equity-accounted investee in the consolidated results.
For the nine months ended December 31, 2025, HUL reported total segment revenue from continuing operations of ₹48,117 crore, up from ₹46,138 crore a year earlier. Profit from continuing operations fell to ₹7,650 crore from ₹8,179 crore. Net profit attributable to owners, including the discontinued business impact, stood at ₹12,048 crore.
Priya Nair, CEO and Managing Director, said “demand trends reflected early signs of recovery” during the quarter. She also said HUL delivered “6% Revenue Growth and 4% underlying volume growth.”