Unilever beats third-quarter underlying sales estimate

LONDON (Reuters) -Unilever achieved slightly better than expected underlying quarterly sales after winning back more shoppers with product innovations and slower price increases.

The consumer goods giant said on Thursday it was keeping its full-year outlook for 3-5% underlying sales growth and an underlying operating margin of at least 18%.

The maker of Dove soap and Hellmann’s condiments reported a 4.5% rise in third-quarter underlying sales, beating analysts’ average forecast of a 4.2% increase, according to a company-provided consensus.

Underlying price growth for the quarter was 0.9% while underlying volume sales growth was 3.5%. Analysts had expected a 1% increase in prices and a 3.2% rise in volumes.