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Unilever Sales Beat Estimates as Care Units, Ice Cream Lead

Growth accelerates as company fends off Kraft Heinz approach
Company’s pricing power improves even as shipments decline

attends the Magnum Ice Cream hosted opening night party for the Tribeca Film Festival 2012 premiere of 'The Five Year Engagement' at MOMA on April 18, 2012 in New York City.
Photographer: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Magnum Ice Crea

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By Thomas Buckley

April 20, 2017 at 6:21 AM UTC

Updated on

April 20, 2017 at 7:14 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Unilever reported quarterly sales growth that beat estimates and affirmed its outlook for the year in its first results announcement since rebuffing a takeover approach from Kraft Heinz Co.

Underlying sales rose 2.9 percent in the first quarter, the maker of Dove soap and Magnum ice cream said Thursday, compared with the 1.9 percent median estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Growth accelerated from 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter.