Unilever has good start and hikes dividend
Consumer goods giant Unilever said it had a good start to the year and was on track to hit its full year targets.
Consumer goods giant Unilever said it had a good start to the year and was on track to hit its full year targets.
The firm, which is behind brands as diverse as TreSemme, PG Tips and Brylcream, saw turnover increase by 11.9% to €12.1bn in the first quarter of the year.
It reported underlying sales growth of 8.4% with emerging markets leading the way, up 11.9%, and now 56% of the company's business.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Developed markets were up 4.2% and the firm hiked its quarterly dividend 8% to €0.243.
The firm said the figures benefitted from the extra leap year day and an easy prior year comparator in Europe, in part due to Easter falling earlier than in 2011
Chief Executive Paul Polman said Unilever had grown ahead of its markets with all categories delivering growth.
"Emerging markets, now 56% of the business, have again delivered strong growth and whilst the good performance in developed markets was against a weak prior year comparator, our performance is pleasing given struggling economies, continued fragile consumer confidence and competitor activity," he said.
However, Polman sounded a note of caution, saying the external macro-economic environment remained difficult and it was being hit by higher input costs.
Sign up for MoneyWeek's newsletters
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
-
UK-US trade deal announced: US cuts tariffs on UK car imports to 10%
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have announced a UK-US trade deal, but the US president has refused to lift baseline tariffs on most UK goods. What does it mean for the UK?
-
How to use mid-caps to diversify from the US
Medium sized companies are overlooked by investors but could offer an attractive ‘sweet spot’. We consider the case for mid-caps amid market volatility.