Unilever Lifts Full-Year Margin Guidance as Profit Rises
July 20 2017 - 2:51AM
Dow Jones News
By Rory Gallivan
LONDON--Consumer goods company Unilever PLC (ULVR.LN) on
Thursday posted a rise in first-half net profit and predicted that
margins will be better than previously expected over the full
year.
The Anglo-Dutch company, whose brands include Hellmann's
mayonnaise and Domestos bleach, reported net profit of 3.11 billion
euros ($3.58 billion) for the six months ended June 30, up from
EUR2.51 billion the previous year. Revenue rose to EUR27.72 billion
from EUR26.28 billion.
Unilever also declared a second quarterly dividend of 35.85 euro
cents a share, the same as the first quarter dividend.
It is now predicting a 100 basis point improvement in underlying
operating margin over the full year, up from previous expectations
of an 80 basis point improvement.
The company said it remains on track for underlying sales growth
of between 3% and 5% over the full year.
Underlying sales growth was 3% in the second quarter but should
accelerate in the second half of the year, helped by increased
marketing spending.
-Write to Rory Gallivan at rory.gallivan@wsj.com; Twitter:
@RoryGallivan
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 20, 2017 02:36 ET (06:36 GMT)
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