Hindustan Unilever (HUL) on Thursday topped analyst estimates as it reported a 41 per cent growth in net profits for the March quarter of 2021. The FMCG giant posted a standalone net profit of Rs 2,143 crore against Rs 1,519 crore a year ago.

Analysts were expecting the company to report a net profit of Rs 2,000 crore.

The strong numbers came as HUL saw a robust demand for its products over the same time last year when the pandemic had led to a nationwide lockdown.

During the quarter, HUL saw a volume growth of 16 per cent, which was above the 14 per cent as forecast by some analysts.

“Our in-quarter performance was strong on both the topline and bottomline. Despite challenging times, in 2020-21 our business ecosystem has withstood the disruption and demonstrated agility and resilience across the value chain,” said Sanjiv Mehta, chairman and managing director of HUL. He added that the recent surge in Covid cases is of serious concern.

During the quarter, sales grew around 35 per cent to Rs 11,947 crore against Rs 8,885 crore in the year-ago period.

HUL said during the period, health, hygiene and nutrition, which form close to 80 per cent of its business, grew in double-digits for the third consecutive quarter, even as discretionary and out-of-home categories showed a sequential improvement.

Commenting on the performance of its various divisions, HUL said home care showed a growth of 15 per cent and this was enabled by a strong recovery in fabric wash. The company added that household care continued its strong performance, delivering a double-digit growth.

The board of directors of HUL have proposed a final dividend of Rs 17 per share. Coupled with an interim dividend of Rs 14 per share, the total payout for 2020-21 stands at Rs 31 per share.

During the year, a special dividend of Rs 9.5 per share was also paid.

Shares of HUL today ended at Rs 2409.05 in the BSE, as against its last close of Rs 2407.