Colgate-Palmolive(I)

By Praveen Paramasivam and Chandini Monnappa

CHENNAI/BENGALURU, June 8 (Reuters) - From smaller packs on shelves to higher prices at checkout, Indian companies are scrambling to protect their margins as surging oil, freight and insurance costs - and strained household budgets - pile on pressure.

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has disrupted trade routes and lifted input costs globally, hitting import-reliant economies like India harder, where a weaker rupee is adding to inflation and complicating pricing decisions as demand remains uneven.

"We are among the world's most vulnerable countries," economist Jayati Ghosh said, warning higher oil and fertiliser costs, weaker Gulf demand, softer remittances and potential capital outflows could stoke inflation and slow growth.

Consumer goods makers Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS, Godrej Consumer Products GOCP.NS and Dabur India DABU.NS have already rolled out low- to mid-single-digit price hikes across categories, with Britannia BRIT.NS preparing similar moves.

Pricing power remains weak in mass segments, with companies holding the line on 10- to 20-rupee (11- to 21-cent) packs and shrinking product sizes instead of raising prices outright.

"We are reducing grammage because we can't breach those price points," said Mohit Malhotra, global CEO at Dabur.

Automakers Maruti Suzuki MRTI.NS, Mahindra & Mahindra MAHM.NS, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles TAMO.NS and Hyundai Motor India HYUN.NS have also hiked prices.

"We were left with no choice," said Partho Banerjee, Maruti's senior executive officer for marketing and sales, adding that raising prices was not good for customers, especially first-time buyers.

Airlines IndiGo INGL.NS and Air India are trimming capacity, especially on fuel-heavy international routes, and increasing fares to offset higher aviation fuel costs.

Consumers are feeling the squeeze.

"I have no family to feed, no school fees, and no monthly payments on a car. I'm still watching my spending as prices are up for almost everything, from travel to packaged food," said Aditi Anjana, a Mumbai-based communications professional who is in her 30s.

BELT-TIGHTENING MODE

With limited room to pass on costs, companies are turning inward and cutting costs to cushion margins.

Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS has cut advertising spend, while others are trimming non-essential travel and marketing costs.

"The scope for further cost-cutting is gradually narrowing," Axis Direct analyst Uttam Kumar Srimal said, adding prolonged commodity and fuel inflation could force sharper price hikes or margin hits.

Sectors with high global exposure, including aviation, oil and gas, chemicals, logistics and capital goods, may remain under margin pressure, said Shweta Rajani, associate director at Anand Rathi Wealth.

RESETTING SUPPLY CHAINS

Firms are also reworking supply chains to manage disruptions. Companies with Middle East exposure are rerouting shipments, diversifying sourcing, and shifting production.

Dabur, an Indian rival of Colgate-Palmolive, is using alternative routes via Egypt and Turkey, while packaged goods maker Britannia is bringing some production back home.

Some firms are also front-loading purchases and closely tracking demand to avoid overstocking, underscoring tighter working capital discipline.

Arvind Fashions ARVF.NS has advanced inventory buys to lock in costs and is relying more on local suppliers, while Tata Group retailer Trent TREN.NS is tweaking raw materials, packaging, and product development.

"My priority is not to take prices up," said Umashan Naidoo, head of customer and beauty at Trent, which offers Gen-Z-focused affordable trendwear through its brand ​Zudio.

($1 = 94.9450 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai and Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Surbhi Misra; Editing by Dhanya Skariachan and Himani Sarkar)

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May 22 (Reuters) - India's Ambuja Cements, Tube Investments Of India, Colgate Palmolive Dropped From Bse 100 Index .BSE100:

• INDIA'S ASHOK LEYLAND, PAYTM AND CG POWER AND INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS ADDED TO BSE 100 INDEX - BSE

• BSE

• BSE INDICES REJIG TO BE EFFECTIVE AT THE OPEN OF JUNE 22, 2026 - BSE

• BSE INDICES REJIG TO BE EFFECTIVE AT THE OPEN OF JUNE 22, 2026 - BSE

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: .BSE100

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Jan 29 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• Q3 NET PROFIT 3.24 BILLION RUPEES

• Q3 SALES 14.73 BILLION RUPEES

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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Dec 26 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• GETS TAX DEMAND ORDER WORTH 2.68 BILLION RUPEES

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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By Praveen Paramasivam

CHENNAI, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Dabur DABU.NS, Indian rival of Colgate-Palmolive, is making its toothpaste a test of nationalism by asking consumers to shun American brands, as companies intensify promotion of local goods amid worsening trade ties with the United States.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reiterated his call to use "Swadeshi", or made-in-India goods. Children should "make a list" of foreign-branded goods, Modi said, while teachers should push them to not use them.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week imposed tariffs of up to 50% on imported Indian goods, prompting Modi's supporters to start a WhatsApp campaign to boycott American brands including McDonald's MCD.N, Pepsi PEP.O and Apple AAPL.O.

Consumer goods company Dabur, valued at $11 billion, took out a front-page newspaper advertisement this week carrying photos of unbranded toothpaste packs that resemble Colgate packaging. Without naming its rival, the ad said India's favourite toothpaste brand was American, and Dabur was the "Swadeshi" choice.

"Born there, not here", it said, referring to the unnamed toothpaste, in a font styled with the red, white and blue of the American flag.

Dabur declined to comment on the advertisement, and Colgate did not respond to queries from Reuters.

Colgate CL.N has a 43% share of India's toothpaste market, followed by the Indian unit of Unilever ULVR.L, home to Pepsodent brand in the country. Dabur is in third place with a 17% share, according to Euromonitor data for 2024.

India's population of 1.4 billion is a major market for American consumer goods, often purchased from U.S. online retailer Amazon.com AMZN.O, and over the years the reach of U.S. brands has expanded deep into smaller towns.

The Dabur ad in the Times of India newspaper even carried a QR code that took consumers to a shopping link on the Amazon India website, which captures about a third of domestic online sales.

Karthik Srinivasan, a communications consultant, called the advertising strategies of Dabur and others "moment marketing".

"How can we gain from that sentiment at least for this week and next? That's literally what all these brands are doing," he said.

Others using a similar tactic included Amul, India's largest dairy, which has published cartoons featuring "Made in India" products on its social media accounts, with one animated ad showing its mascot holding an Indian flag and a slab of butter.

Indian e-mail provider Rediff, popular years ago before the rise of Yahoo and Google Mail, also took out a newspaper ad calling its service the "mail of India" that helps to keep customers' business intelligence local.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Tom Hogue)

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July 29 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc 8306.T:

• MUFG SOLD INDIRECT INTEREST IN COLGATE-PALMOLIVE - EXCHANGE FILING

• MUFG SOLD 2.02% INDIRECT INTEREST IN COLGATE-PALMOLIVE - EXCHANGE FILING

Source text: ID:nnAZN4A6JIB

Further company coverage: 8306.T

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July 22 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• Q1 NET PROFIT 3.21 BILLION RUPEES

• Q1 SALES 14.21 BILLION RUPEES

• ANTICIPATE GRADUAL RECOVERY IN BACK HALF OF THE YEAR

Source text: ID:nBSE3K66Zp

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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May 21 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• Q4 NET PROFIT 3.55 BILLION RUPEES; IBES EST 3.59 BILLION RUPEES

• Q4 SALES 14.52 BILLION RUPEES; IBES EST 15.17 BILLION RUPEES

• DIVIDEND 27 RUPEES/PER SHARE

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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Feb 21 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• COLGATE-PALMOLIVE (INDIA) LTD - TAX DEMAND ORDER REDUCED TO 1.4 MILLION RUPEES FROM 47.5 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSEbmqVxp

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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Jan 28 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• Q3 NET PROFIT 3.23 BILLION RUPEES

• Q3 SALES 14.52 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nnAPN2LBTRO

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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Corrects media packaging code; no changes to text

By Sethuraman N R

Dec 9 (Reuters) - Shares of India's Godrej Consumer Products GOCP.NS slumped 9% on Monday, set for their worst day since March 2020 and dragging down its peers in the fast moving consumer goods sector after the firm warned of stress on demand and profit margins in the third quarter.

The stock fell to its lowest since Jan. 18, its biggest one-day percentage drop since the onset of the pandemic. The decline dragged down the consumer goods index .NIFTYFMCG by 2.2%. The benchmark Nifty 50 .NSEI was down about 0.1% on the day.

Including Monday's decline, the consumer index has shed about 14% so far this quarter and is set for its worst ever quarterly performance as Indian consumer companies continue to feel the pinch of still-high inflation and a consequent fall in demand.

Godrej Consumer said on Friday that two-thirds of its India business is under demand and margin stress due to higher raw material costs and unfavourable weather.

The company's update will "likely add to investor concerns" on the consumer industry as a whole, which has been facing a slowdown, Jefferies said in a note.

To partly offset higher costs in palm oil, a key ingredient for Godrej's soap business that contributes one-third to its standalone revenue, the company undertook measures including price increases during the quarter.

"Such pricing actions typically have minimal impact on category consumption but do result in reduced inventory across wholesale and household pantry," Godrej said.

The warning by Godrej will also impact peers, Jefferies said, adding that recent analyst meetings with Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS and Colgate-Palmolive India COLG.NS have not provided confidence about a recovery in consumption.

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR; Editing by Sonia Cheema)

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By Praveen Paramasivam, Shivangi Acharya

CHENNAI/NEW DELHI, Nov 13 - India's city dwellers are cutting spending on everything from cookies to fast food as persistently high inflation squeezes middle class budgets, threatening the country's brisk economic growth.

Slowing urban spending over the past three to four months has not only hurt the earnings of largest consumer goods firms, it has raised questions about the structural nature of India's long-term economic success.

Since the end of the pandemic, India's economic growth has been driven in large part by urban consumption, however, that now seems to be changing.

"There is a top end – the people with money are spending like that is going out of style," Nestle India Chairman Suresh Narayanan said.

"There used to be a middle segment, which used to be the segment that most of us fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms used to operate in, which is the middle class of the country, that seems to be shrinking."

Nestle India, which makes Kit Kats and other well-known goods, reported its first quarterly revenue drop since the COVID-hit June quarter in 2020.

While there is no officially defined income bracket for Indian middle class households, they are broadly estimated to account for a third of India's 1.4 billion people.

They are considered a key demographic both economically and politically, with middle class frustration seen as a significant factor behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's weaker election performance this year.

Asia's third-largest economy is expected to expand 7.2% in the financial year ending March 2025, the fastest among its major peers.

Belying those rosy projections, however, are signs of a sharp slowdown in the household sector.

Indian urban consumption hit a two-year low this month, according to an index published by Citibank that captures indicators such as airline bookings, fuel sales and wages.

"While some of the fall could be temporary, the key macro drivers remain unfavourable," Citi's chief India economist Samiran Chakraborty said.

Growth in inflation-adjusted wage costs for listed Indian firms - a proxy for earnings of urban Indians - has remained below 2% for all the three quarters of 2024, well below the 10-year average of 4.4%, data from Citi showed.

Chakraborty cites this as a key factor impacting urban consumption, along with declining savings and tighter rules for personal loans.

Headline inflation has averaged 5% over the past 12 months, but food inflation has held above 8% as weather shocks elevated prices of vegetables, cereals and other essential foods. In October, retail inflation hit a 14-month high of 6.2% while food prices jumped to 10.9%.

Anecdotal data suggests retail sales rose close to 15% year-on-year during the 2024 festive season, which runs from August to November, Nomura said in a note last week, about half last year's pace.

"During this festival season, we have not spent at all," said Rajwanti Dahiya, 60, who survives on her husband's monthly pension of 30,000 Indian rupees ($356.76).

"Savings are low, barely there."

A 'SHRINKING' MIDDLE

India's central bank expects 7.2% GDP growth for the fiscal year ending March 2025 on the back of improved rural demand and a strong services sector.

Higher government investment could also support demand, said Rahul Bajoria, head of India and ASEAN economic research at Bank of America.

"If government spending kicks in, that probably does have some multiplier effects on private consumption spending as well," said Bajoria, who expects GDP growth at 6.8% in the current financial year.

Some are less optimistic with Citi and IDFC First Bank economists expecting GDP growth in the July-September quarter to miss the central bank's projected 7%, weighed by slower urban consumption.

That pessimism has hit consumer stocks with the Nifty FMCG index .NIFTYFMCG declining 13% since Oct. 1, compared with a 7.4% drop in the benchmark Nifty 50 .NSEI.

Of the FMCG index's 15 constituent firms, only one reported a pickup in sales volume growth in the September quarter.

Consumers in large cities are swapping branded items from hair oil to tea for cheaper unbranded alternatives, reflected in the first sales volume decline in 11 quarters for the foods and refreshment group at Hindustan Unilever.

"We see the growth in big city standing down, although in smaller cities and in rural the growth continues to be good," Hindustan Unilever chief executive Rohit Jawa said last month, after reporting lower than expected earnings.

Consumers are also cutting back on dining out.

Fast-food chains such as McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC posted same-store sales declines, earnings showed.

While people are still coming, they are choosing cheaper meals, Rajeev Varman, CEO at Burger King operator Restaurant Brands Asia RESR.NS said after posting a 3% drop in quarterly same-store sales.

"We prefer budget-friendly stores that give good deals and discounts to manage our monthly expenditure," said 37-year old Avinash Crasto, a Mumbai marketing and sales executive who has a family of four and identifies as middle class.

($1 = 84.0640 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai and Shivangi Acharya in New Delhi; Editing by Sam Holmes)

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Oct 24 (Reuters) - Colgate Palmolive (India) COLG.NS reported a 16% rise in second-quarter profit on Thursday helped by its expansion into rural markets and demand for its premium personal care products.

The toothpaste maker's net profit rose to 3.95 billion rupees ($47 million) in the quarter ended Sept. 30, from 3.40 billion rupees a year earlier.

In India, rural sales have outperformed urban on a year-on-year basis for the third quarter in a row for consumer goods, helped partly by higher government spending to boost the rural economy.

Colgate Palmolive's efforts to promote oral health programs in rural areas helped drive demand for its products in the hinterlands, while demand for its premium products such as 'Colgate Total' and 'Colgate Visible White' was strong among its urban consumers.

Oral care products contribute around 90% to the company's total revenue.

"Toothpaste achieved high single-digit volume growth... Toothbrush continued to grow at double digits with rapid premiumisation," said MD and CEO Prabha Narasimhan.

The company's sales rose 10% to 16.09 billion rupees, while its domestic net sales grew 10.5% during the quarter.

Meanwhile, the company's raw material costs surged 20% during the quarter, pushing its total expenses up by 13%.

Among other consumer goods makers, Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS posted a smaller-than-expected profit amid higher expenses on Wednesday, while Dabur India DABU.NS, which makes Dabur Red toothpaste, is yet to report earnings.

($1 = 84.0625 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Ashna Teresa Britto; Editing by Eileen Soreng)

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BENGALURU, July 29 (Reuters) - Colgate Palmolive India COLG.NS reported a 33% rise in first-quarter profit on Monday, boosted by price hikes and steady domestic demand.

The company's net profit rose to 3.64 billion rupees ($43.5 million) in the April-June period from 2.74 billion rupees a year earlier.

Even as Colgate Palmolive raised prices to offset higher raw materials costs, customers continued to prioritize spending on personal care products.

Demand in rural markets outpaced growth in urban areas for a second straight quarter, the company said.

The toothpaste maker's overall sales rose 13% to 14.86 billion rupees, owing to a 13% growth in its domestic net sales during the quarter.

The company also sells its products in Asia Pacific and South Africa, among others.

"Our toothpaste portfolio witnessed double-digit percentage growth driven by high-single digit percentage volume growth," said Prabha Narasimhan, managing director and CEO of Colgate-Palmolive (India).

Consumer goods makers have faced growing competition from smaller brands, which have been encroaching on their shelf space as citizens cut back on expenses amid persistently high inflation.

Colgate Palmolive boosted its advertising expenses by 10% in the quarter, driving a 9% increase in total expenses to 10.31 billion rupees.

Earlier this month, Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS, which makes Pepsodent toothpaste among other products, posted a higher first-quarter profit as price cuts boosted volumes. Dabur India DABU.NS will report its quarterly results on Aug. 1.

Last week parent Colgate-Palmolive CL.N raised its forecasts for annual profit and organic sales, after beating June-quarter estimates on resilient demand for its high-priced products.

Shares of Colgate Palmolive India closed up 1.4% ahead of the results.

($1 = 83.7248 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Ashna Teresa Britto in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Eileen Soreng)

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Corrects to "forward" from "toward" in second-last paragraph

By Bharath Rajeswaran

MUMBAI, June 5 (Reuters) - Indian consumer-focussed companies are likely to shine, while capital spending-linked firms could suffer as the government shifts its policy focus to support lower-income segments, fund managers and analysts said on Wednesday, a day after a surprise result in the national elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a third term in government but without a majority of its own, confounding expectations and raising concerns over the pace of reforms and the priority of investment-led growth.

Indeed, the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) index .BSESCGIP rose 0.15% on Tuesday, the only bright spot in the stock market carnage, which included a 12% plunge in the capital goods index .BSECG.

FMCG stocks continued their rise on Wednesday, climbing 5.2%, while capital goods companies slid 1.5%.

The BJP lacking a simple majority raises doubts over a stable government and policy-making styles, said analysts at CLSA.

The brokerage remained "overweight" on consumer staples and said ITC ITC.NS was its preferred pick in the sector.

CLSA is also positive on banks, IT and insurance companies, and replaced Larsen & Toubro (L&T) LART.NS with HCLTech HCLT.NS in its India focus portfolio.

The blue-chip Nifty 50 .NSEI and Sensex .BSESN indexes tumbled nearly 6% each on Tuesday, their worst one-day performance since March 2020.

Despite the plunge, valuations of cyclicals are expensive, said Nuvama Institutional Equities, preferring consumption-linked stocks over capital expenditure-linked sectors.

It expects weak demand to weigh on private capex and government capex to decelerate.

The Nifty 50 is currently trading at 19 times 1-year forward expected earnings (PE), below the 10-year long-term average of 20x.

Consumer staples like Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS, Britannia Industries BRIT.NS, Colgate COLG.NS are trading at a PE of 52x, 51x and 49x, respectively, lower than their long-term valuations.

Conversely, capital goods companies like L&T and Siemens Ltd SIEM.NS are trading above their long-term valuations.

"Days of paying any multiple for stocks in industries where big reforms are expected are gone," said Ashutosh Tiwari of Equirus Securities, cautioning investors to focus on sectors "where earnings visibility is more certain."

Equirus identified rural recovery as a theme that could benefit in the near term and picked building materials, consumer durables, automobiles and industrial consumables as its preferred sectors.

"The election result is likely to lead to a more balanced market; risk-reward in large caps and underperforming sectors like banking and consumer appears more favourable," said Rahul Singh, chief investment officer of equities at Mumbai-based Tata Asset Management.

"More specifically any moderation in the capital spending outlook in favour of consumption support can further drive sectoral preferences going forward," Singh said.

The change in market sentiment, he added, may lead to "greater scrutiny and valuation discipline" in sectors like capital goods, power, defence and manufacturing.

(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Mumbai; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

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BENGALURU, May 14 (Reuters) - Colgate Palmolive (India) COLG.NS reported a 20% rise in fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, helped by price hikes and higher demand for its personal care products, mainly toothpastes.

Net profit rose to 3.80 billion rupees ($45.5 million) for the January-March period, from 3.16 billion rupees a year earlier.

Consumer product makers like Colgate Palmolive are seeing a rise in demand for premium oral hygiene products among urban consumers, who have higher disposable incomes, analysts said.

The toothpaste maker's sales rose 10.4% to 14.81 billion rupees.

Marketing expenses, which rose 18% on the back of new product launches and advertising campaigns, resulted in a 6.2% increase in total expenses.

"Rural markets continued to exhibit positive signs of demand recovery, growing ahead of urban," the company said.

Analysts, however, expect rural demand to show improvement by the December quarter as the monsoon typically boosts farm income.

Rival Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS missed quarterly earnings estimates but also said that a recovery in rural demand is underway.

Meanwhile, Dabur India DABU.NS posted better-than-expected results for the March quarter, buoyed by demand for its food products.

Parent Colgate-Palmolive CL.N raised the forecast for annual organic sales growth last month, banking on resilient demand for its highly-priced self-care and pet nutrition products.

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (India) closed down 1.4% on Tuesday ahead of its results.

The stock has risen 13.5% this year compared to a 3% decline in the Nifty FMCG index .NIFTYFMCG.

($1 = 83.4953 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Navamya Ganesh Acharya and Ashna Teresa Britto in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng)

April 24 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• COLGATE-PALMOLIVE (INDIA) - GOT TAX ORDERS FOR DEMAND OF 11.91 MILLION RUPEES, 10.30 MILLION RUPEES

Source text for Eikon: ID:nNSE8yJ6b2

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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Gillette India GILE.NS, known for its shaving razors and Oral B toothbrushes, posted a 39.6% rise in its second-quarter profit on Tuesday, helped by increased demand and launch of more premium products.

Gillette India, in which consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble Co PG.N holds a majority stake, reported a profit of 1.04 billion rupees ($12.5 million) for the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with 744.5 million rupees a year earlier.

Its revenue from operations rose 3.4% for the quarter.

Gillette India also declared an interim dividend of 85 rupees per share for the financial year 2023-24, which includes a one-time special dividend of 40 rupees per share.

For further results highlights, click here: nFWN3EK0JV

KEY CONTEXT

Gillette is capitalising on the changing consumer preferences in India in recent years, as a significant number of consumers, particularly the rising middle-class, favour branded products over unbranded local alternatives.

The surge in the company's second-quarter profit follows a single-digit growth in the previous quarter.

Rival Colgate-Palmolive (India) COLG.NS reported a 35.7% jump in the December-quarter profit, aided by healthy urban demand and a fall in expenses.

PEER COMPARISON

* Mean of analysts' ratings standardised to a scale of Strong Buy, Buy, Hold, Sell, and Strong Sell

** Ratio of the stock's last close to analysts' mean price target; a ratio above 1 means the stock is trading above the PT

OCTOBER-DECEMBER STOCK PERFORMANCE

-- All data from LSEG

-- $1 = 83.1217 Indian rupees

(Reporting by Navamya Ganesh Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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Jan 22 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• Q3 NET PROFIT 3.3 BILLION RUPEES

• Q3 SALES 13.86 BILLION RUPEES

• YEAR AGO Q3 NET PROFIT 2.43 BILLION RUPEES, SALES 12.81 BILLION RUPEES

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE46QHNt

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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Nov 21 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd COLG.NS:

• COLGATE-PALMOLIVE (INDIA) - STATE GOODS AND SERVICE TAX OFFICER, CHENNAI, CONDUCTED A SEARCH AT CO'S CHENNAI WAREHOUSE

• COLGATE-PALMOLIVE (INDIA) LTD - SEARCH CONDUCTED FROM 16 NOVEMBER 2023 TO 17 NOVEMBER 2023

• COLGATE-PALMOLIVE (INDIA) LTD - BUSINESS OPERATIONS OF COMPANY CONTINUED AS USUAL

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE9qjShc

Further company coverage: COLG.NS

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Adds background, details on sales, shares

CHENNAI, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Consumer goods maker Dabur India DABU.NS reported second-quarter profit above market expectations on Thursday, benefiting from rising demand in its household and personal care and healthcare segments.

The company's consolidated net profit rose 5% to 5.15 billion Indian rupees ($61.89 million) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, from 4.9 billion rupees a year earlier.

Analysts, on average, expected a profit of 5.13 billion rupees, according to LSEG data.

Increasing demand for personal care products and stiff competition has prompted major consumer goods makers from Colgate-Palmolive India COLG.NS to Dabur to launch new products, including toothpaste variants.

Revenue from operations climbed 7.3% to 32.04 billion rupees.

In its quarterly update last month, Dabur said its healthcare as well as household and personal care businesses - housing products ranging from Vatika shampoos to its digestive supplement brand Hajmola - posted a high single-digit percentage growth in India.

The household and personal care segment accounted for more than 50% of Dabur India's sales. India also makes up roughly three-fourths of the company's topline.

The jury, however, is out on natural healthcare products, with a few medical professionals questioning their safety and efficiency on social media platforms, including X, formerly called Twitter. Dabur subsidiaries were also sued in the U.S. and Canada.

After a lacklustre quarter for the consumer goods industry, analysts expect sales volumes to recover in the second half of fiscal 2024 on expectations of a pickup in farm incomes - which will boost rural demand - and signs of cooling inflation.

Dabur shares rose more than 2% after reporting results, trimming their year-to-date decline to nearly 6%, while the Nifty FMCG index climbed nearly 17% this year.

($1 = 83.2170 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Janane Venkatraman)

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BENGALURU, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) COLG.NS reported a 22% rise in the second-quarter profit on Thursday, aided by rising urban demand for high-priced toothpastes and signs of growth in rural consumption.

The company's net profit rose to 3.40 billion rupees ($40.86 million) for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 2.78 billion rupees a year earlier.

Sales rose 6.1% to 14.62 billion rupees, helped by its mainstay oral care category.

The rise of premium oral hygiene products has given customers with larger incomes access to higher-quality options. Intensive marketing efforts and increased distribution, meanwhile, have boosted demand in rural areas.

"In this quarter we have doubled down on the (flagship) Colgate Strong Teeth (toothpaste) relaunch, expanding reach and availability," Colgate-Palmolive (India) CEO Prabha Narasimhan said in a statement.

Last week, rival Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS reported a bigger-than-expected increase in profit as it benefited from increased sales from its beauty, home, and personal care segments.

Colgate Palmolive (India), which also makes handwash and shower gel, declared its first interim dividend of 22 rupees per share for the fiscal year 2023-2024.

Shares of the company fell 1.9% on Thursday ahead of its results. The stock has risen 32.4% this year compared with a 15.3% gain in the Nifty index for fast-moving consumer goods .NIFTYFMCG.

($1 = 83.2103 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Navamya Ganesh Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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BENGALURU, July 26 (Reuters) - Toothpaste maker Colgate-Palmolive (India)'s COLG.NS quarterly profit rose 30.5% on Wednesday, aided by improved domestic demand.

Net profit rose to 2.74 billion rupees ($33.40 million) for the quarter ended June 30 compared to 2.10 billion rupees a year earlier.

Steady rural demand pick-up and some ease in domestic retail inflation helped Indian consumer goods companies log gains during the quarter.

Sales rose nearly 10.8% to 13.15 billion rupees, boosted by the company's mainstay oral care category, with toothpaste sales in the high double digits.

Domestic sales grew 12.3%, with the sector seeing early signs of recovery in rural areas, Colgate-Palmolive India CEO Prabha Narasimhan said in a statement.

In April, the company's U.S.-based parent Colgate-Palmolive Co CL.N raised its full-year organic sales forecast, betting on consistent price hikes and demand for its pet nutrition products.

The company is set to report its June-quarter earnings on Friday.

The Indian unit's results come after it reported a drop in profit in three of the prior four quarters.

Earlier this month, local rival Dabur India DABU.NS said it expects June-quarter sales to grow over 10% and gross margin to expand due to easing inflation.

Dabur will report its quarterly earnings on Aug. 3 while bigger rival Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS missed profit estimates last week due to higher expenses.

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (India) hit an all-time high of 1,909 rupees on Wednesday before closing 0.8% down ahead of its results. The stock has risen 22.6% this year compared to a 19.7% gain in the Nifty FMCG index .NIFTYFMCG.

($1 = 82.0312 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Biplob Kumar Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema)

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BENGALURU/CHENNAI, May 12 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd's COLG.NS fourth-quarter profit fell less than expected, helped by price hikes implemented to combat surging costs.

The Indian arm of the U.S. consumer goods major reported a 2.3% fall in net profit to 3.16 billion rupees ($38.64 million) for the quarter ended March 31.

Analysts, on average, had expected a profit of 2.71 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES.

The net profit includes a one-time tax reversal, barring which it had risen nearly 9%.

The toothpaste maker's sales rose nearly 4% to 13.42 billion rupees, with analysts attributing it to price hikes. Total expenses were up nearly 3%.

The company raised prices to combat increasing costs, a move also made by peers such as Dabur India Ltd DABU.NS, Hindustan Unilever Ltd HLL.NS, and Nestle India Ltd NEST.NS.

Toothpaste posted high-single-digit percentage sales growth, helped by the launch of higher-priced products even as the broader category struggled in rural areas, according to Colgate-Palmolive India CEO Prabha Narasimhan.

Colgate-Palmolive India's better-than-feared earnings come after it had reported a drop in profit in two of the prior three quarters.

Its parent company raised its full-year organic sales forecast last month, betting on consistent price hikes and steady demand for its pet nutrition products under the Hill's Pet Nutrition brand.

Consumer goods makers in India are likely set up for further sales gains in the April-June quarter as well, with a Reuters poll of economists finding India's consumer inflation likely cooled to an 18-month low in April due to a moderation in prices.

However, they have reported mixed earnings for the March quarter so far: toothpaste-maker Dabur posted shrinking margins, while Pepsi-bottler Varun Beverages VARB.NS recorded profit growth.

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive India fell nearly 2% in the January-March quarter against an almost 4% rise in the Nifty FMCG Index .NIFTYFMCG.

($1 = 81.7800 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru and Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai; Editing by Janane Venkatraman )

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