FMCG major Nestle India Ltd on Wednesday reported a 4.38 per cent rise in its net profit to Rs 655.61 crore for the December quarter, on the back of consistent performance by its key brands.


The company, which owns brands such as Maggi, Kitkat and Nescafe, had posted a profit of Rs 628.06 crore in the same period a year ago, according to a regulatory filing.


Nestle India's net sales rose 8.27 per cent to Rs 4,583.63 crore during the period under review as against Rs 4,233.27 crore a year ago.


"All key brands and product groups have contributed to Nestlé India's consistent growth trajectory," Nestle India said in its earnings statement.


Its total expenses in the October-December quarter rose 6.11 per cent to Rs 3,636.94 crore.


Nestle India's domestic sales grew 8.86 per cent to Rs 4,421.79 crore over Rs 4,061.85 crore in the December quarter of the last fiscal.


The growth was "on the back of pricing and mix growth, with strong growth momentum in e-commerce and out-of-home channels. The quarter was marked by an increase in brand investments across all product groups," Nestle India Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan said.


However, its exports declined 5.58 per cent to Rs 161.84 crore compared to Rs 171.42 crore a year ago.


The company's revenue from operations climbed 8.07 per cent to Rs 4,600.42 crore. It stood at Rs 4,256.79 crore in the December quarter of the last fiscal.


During the quarter, e-commerce delivered strong growth and contributed 7 per cent of domestic sales. Organised trade also witnessed strong growth backed by festive walk-ins and new product launches.


"The teams excelled in rolling our shopper resonant activities across our large portfolio in both legacy platforms and the fast-growing 'quick commerce'," it said.


According to the company, its beverages business witnessed a double-digit growth. It was the largest contributor to growth which was propelled by strong demand for Nescafe.


Its Milk and Nutrition product group posted a double-digit growth. Prepared dishes and cooking aids also maintained creditable growth this quarter.


In confectionery, KitKat and Munch were its strong growth drivers.


Nestle is also expanding its presence in the rural area.


The company expanded direct coverage and added 5,300 villages this quarter, reaching a total of over 196,000 villages, close to 200,000 villages, which was its ambition, Narayanan said.


Earlier, Nestle India, which followed the January-December financial year, approved the change of the financial year commencing on April 1 and ending on March 31 of the next year.


"Consequently, as a transitional arrangement, the current financial year of the company will be for a period of 15 months commencing January 1, 2023, and ending March 31, 2024, while the previous financial year was 12 months, from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022," it said.


It also added the audited results for the previous financial year are also comparable figures for the 12 months ended December 31, 2023.


In 2023, Nestle India's profit was 25.44 per cent higher at Rs 2,998.67 crore. It was Rs 2,390.52 crore a year ago.


Similarly, revenue from sales of the company products in 2023 increased 13.3 per cent to Rs 19,021.05 crore.


"During the year 2023, our total sales grew by over 13.3 per cent and we crossed the Rs 19,000 crore mark," Narayanan said.


On the commodity outlook, Nestle India said coffee prices continue to be volatile and are historically high due to limited availability.


"Healthy milk flush in winter is expected to keep prices stable. Commodities such as wheat and rice are stable as of now. Rain deficit is expected to impact the production of maize, sugar, oil seeds and spices that may impact pricing," it said.


The board of the company on Wednesday approved the slump sale of the Nestle Business Services ('NBS') Division to Purina PetCare India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Nestle SA, for an aggregate consideration of Rs 79.8 crore.


"The transaction shall be effective from July 1, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions," the statement said.


Swiss multinational Nestlé SA is the ultimate holding company of Nestle India, in which it owns 62.76 per cent. It has 100 per cent ownership of Purina Petcare India, which operates in the pet food segment in India.


In a separate filing, Nestle India said its board, in a meeting held on Wednesday, declared a third interim dividend for the financial year 2023-24 of Rs 7 per equity share of face value of Re 1 each.


"This is in addition to the first interim dividend of INR 27 per equity share (face value of Rs 10 each) and second interim dividend of INR 140 per equity share (face value of Rs 10 each) paid on 8th May 2023 and 16th November 2023, respectively," it said.


On January 5, the equity shares of Nestle India, having a face value of Rs 10, were subdivided into 10 equity shares having a face value of Re 1.


Shares of Nestle India settled at Rs 2,499.05 apiece on BSE, up 1.68 per cent from its previous close. 


(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)