Mumbai, May 9: Consumer goods giant Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has beaten analysts’ projections by posting a net profit of Rs 569.15 crore in the fourth quarter ended March 31.

Profit after tax was underpinned by better-than-expected growth in its topline and a one-time gain of Rs 83 crore from the sale of properties and reduced provisioning for retirement benefits

Although net profit during January-March was 2 per cent lower than the Rs 581.20 crore achieved in the year-ago quarter, the profit number was above analysts’ projections with the consensus estimate put at Rs 460 crore.

As a result, the HUL stock surged 3.55 per cent to close at Rs 284.45 on the BSE.

HUL said strong sales volume growth in the quarter led to domestic consumer and FMCG business growing 14 per cent, with strong performance across home and personal care (HPC) and foods segments.

Sales rose to Rs 4,899.35 crore from Rs 4,315.75 crore in the year-ago period.

However, rising input costs as a result of firm crude and palm oil prices crimped margins by around 60 basis points.

In the full year, HUL posted a 6.46 per cent increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,296.05 crore against Rs 2,156.63 crore during the year ended March 31, 2010.

The company said the HPC business grew 13.6 per cent, while the soaps and detergents segment rose 11.4 per cent. In the laundry business, Surf, Rin and Wheel delivered double-digit volume growth. During the fiscal, turnover from Rin crossed Rs 1,000 crore.

The personal products segment grew16.2 per cent.

Foods business also grew 15.4 per cent across categories with beverages rising over 11 per cent. According to HUL, the ice cream category delivered strong growth, driven by the launch of variants and formats and the continued expansion of Swirl Parlours, which now exceed 150 outlets.

“Our performance has been strong and consistent through the year. Input costs remain high with the added challenge of volatility, while the competitive environment has intensified. In this context, we will continue to focus on the best value for our consumers through innovations and strong cost-efficiency programmes,” HUL chairman Harish Manwani said.

The board today announced a final dividend of Rs 3.50 per share for the year.