Unilever, the consumer goods multinational whose brands include Dove, Knorr and Ben & Jerry’s, says it is planning a share buyback worth up to 6 billion euros ($7.4 billion) later this year.
Unilever said Thursday that sales in the first quarter were hit by unfavorable currency exchange rates and fell 5.2 percent to 12.6 billion euros ($15.6 billion) compared with the same period last year. However, the company added that underlying sales growth was 3.4 percent.
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Unilever, which last month announced plans to consolidate its global headquarters in Rotterdam instead of London, also raised its quarterly dividend by 8 percent.
CEO Paul Polman says the first quarter “demonstrates another good volume-driven performance” at its Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment divisions.
