Mumbai, Oct 24 - India's biggest consumer goods maker, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, on Friday posted a 34 percent rise in quarterly profit, beating forecasts, as strong sales and price hikes offset high raw material costs.
The unit of Anglo-Dutch Unilever Plc said net profit rose to 5.47 billion rupees ($109 million) in its third quarter ended Sept. 30 from 4.08 billion rupees reported a year earlier
Total income rose to 41.11 billion rupees from 33.95 billion.
Reuters Estimates had forecast net profit of 4.81 billion rupees on revenue of 40.31 billion.
The company said it made a profit on sale of property of 1.31 billion rupees.
Shares in Hindustan Unilever, which has a market value of nearly $10.8 billion, rose 22 percent in the September quarter, compared to a 4.5 percent fall on the main share index . ($1=50 rupees)