EL7.AI
StocksMedium•22 October 2026•
3 min read

Colgate-Palmolive India profit rises 4.3% as sales grow faster

Key Facts

1Net profit rose 4.3% year on year to 341.57 crore rupees in the September quarter.
2Sales increased 12.22% year on year to 1,691.57 crore rupees.
3Total expenses rose 16% to 1,267.28 crore rupees.
4The EBITDA margin stood at about 27.8%, against expectations of 29.6%, according to the Economic Times.
5The Indian company's shares closed at 1,685 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange, down 2.32% in the October 22, 2026 session.

Colgate-Palmolive India's net profit rose 4.3% year on year to 341.57 crore rupees in its fiscal second quarter ended September 2026, according to India's Economic Times. Results announced on October 22 showed profit growth lagging sales growth, while expenses increased faster than both. Sales rose 12.22% from the same period a year earlier to 1,691.57 crore rupees, according to Press Trust of India coverage published by Rediff. Total income, which includes other income alongside sales, stood at 1,727.50 crore rupees in the September quarter. The Indian company's results thus showed year-on-year increases in both sales and profit, with different growth rates for operating revenue and net profit.

On costs, Press Trust of India reported that total expenses rose 16% year on year to 1,267.28 crore rupees in the same quarter. Expense growth outpaced sales growth, while net profit grew more slowly than both. Against expectations, the Economic Times reported an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation margin of about 27.8%. Expectations cited by the newspaper pointed to a margin of 29.6% for the September quarter. This measure of operating profitability fell short of expectations as the company recorded year-on-year increases in both sales and net profit.

The September results follow a quarter ended June 2026 in which the company beat earnings-per-share and revenue expectations, according to Investing.com data. Earnings per share for that quarter were 12.70 rupees, against expectations of 12.58 rupees. Revenue reached 16.03 billion rupees, compared with expectations of 15.67 billion rupees. Ahead of the latest results, the parent group's management linked the recovery in its India business to modern retail initiatives and premium products during a Barclays conference. Investing.com's coverage published in September quoted management as saying: "The India business recovered markedly in the second quarter, supported by modern retail and premium products." Those comments formed part of the parent group's management presentation on the India business before the Indian company's results for the fiscal quarter ended September.

In trading on the day the results were announced, Colgate-Palmolive India shares closed at 1,685 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange on October 22, 2026, down 2.32%, according to Press Trust of India. The shares had also declined in the session before the announcement. According to historical data published on Investing.com, they fell 1.21% to 1,720 rupees on India's National Stock Exchange on October 21. That decline preceded the announcement of the September-quarter figures, while the fall in the following Bombay session coincided with the results. The shares closed lower on the announcement day despite growth in profit and sales, with the EBITDA margin coming in below expectations reported by the Economic Times.