Hindustan Unilever Faces Rising Competition From Local Rivals; Likely To See Revenue Take A Hit

Hindustan Unilever Ltd.’s margins could be hurt by growing competition from local companies, such as Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., as well as by rising prices of raw materials, according to market analysts. Almost 45 percent of HUL’s brand portfolio is being threatened by rival products from Patanjali, according to analysts from ICICI Securities Ltd. This prompted the brokerage firm to lower its earnings forecast for HUL by 3 percent for financial year 2016–2017 and by 7 percent for 2017–20018. In 2014–2015, HUL reported a net profit of Rs. 4,315 crore, with total revenue of Rs. 30,170 crore.