HUL shares fall over 3% after Q3 earnings. Should you buy, sell or hold?
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) fell over 3% to the day's low of Rs 2,487 on Saturday following its December quarter earnings where the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector bellwether reported disappointing earnings on Friday. The commentary by a couple of brokerages was uninspiring for investors with CITI reiterating an 'Equal Weight' rating, while Nuvama trimmed EPS estimates even as it retained a buy stance.
The company posted a net profit growth of a mere 0.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 2,519 crore while missing the ETNow poll estimate of Rs 2,724 crore. Revenue from operations fell 0.3% YoY to Rs 15,188 crore and also trailed estimates of Rs 15,533 crore.
Read More: HUL Q3 Results: PAT rises just 0.6% YoY to Rs 2,519 crore, trails estimate
Here's what brokerages recommended:
Morgan Stanley: Equal Weight | Target: Rs 2,464
The global brokerage maintains an equal weight on the stock and has cut the target price to Rs 2,464 from Rs 2,502 earlier. The post-earnings stock review note noted urban demand to be higher than rural with the premium segment pushing the mass. Among headwinds, volume growth remains weak at 2%, while pricing turned negative in Q3 and will be in Q4 too, it said. The company's market share is expected to drop over the next few months and recover to current levels by December 2024, Morgan Stanley added.
Nuvama: Buy | Target: 3,105
Nuvama has maintained a buy view on HUL with a revised target price of Rs 3,105 from an earlier target of Rs 3,210.
HUL posted muted Q3FY24 numbers with flat revenue and PAT down YoY below Nuvama's estimates. The miss on sales and weak revenue was due to price cuts taken to pass on the benefit of commodity deflation, it said. The domestic brokerage has cut FY24E/25E EPS by
