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International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management

A Peer-Reviewed, Open-Access International Journal Supporting Multidisciplinary Research, Digital Publishing Standards, DOI Registration, and Academic Indexing.
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ISSN: 3108-1754 (Online)
Crossref DOI: Available
ISO Certification: 9001:2015
Publication Fee: 599/- INR
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License: CC BY 4.0
Peer Review: Double Blind
Volume 02, Issue 10

Published on: October 2026

HOW FINANCIALLY STRONG ARE INDIAN FMCG LEADERS? A RATIO AND CASH FLOW ANALYSIS OF FIVE LISTED COMPANIES, FY2024–FY2026

Sudarshan Nivrutti Shinde Shantanu Pradeep Patil

Prof. Aishwarya Pawar

Indira University, School of Business, Pune, India

Article Status

Plagiarism Passed Peer Reviewed Open Access

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Abstract

This paper presents a descriptive, comparative financial statement analysis of five listed Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies—Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Britannia, Dabur, ITC, and Nestlé India—for FY2024–FY2026. Balance sheet, cash flow, and profit data from Screener.in, cross-checked against annual reports, are used to compute liquidity, solvency, efficiency, free cash flow, cash-to-operating-profit, and net profit margin measures, which are read against the FMCG business model rather than as pass/fail thresholds. All five companies generated positive operating cash flow in every year, and debt-to-equity stayed below 0.55 times throughout. Negative working capital appeared at HUL and Nestlé India in all three years and, by FY2026, at Dabur and Britannia, and was read as a supplier-credit pattern rather than distress. ITC scored highest on a six-metric composite scorecard (23 of 30), followed by HUL (19), Dabur (17), Nestlé India (16), and Britannia (15). The scorecard is a FY2026 snapshot, not a forecast or investment recommendation, and rests on five companies, three years, secondary data, and general textbook benchmarks.

Index Terms—FMCG, financial statement analysis, ratio analysis, free cash flow, earnings quality, working capital.

How to Cite this Paper

Shinde, S. N. & Patil, S. P. (2026). How Financially Strong Are Indian FMCG Leaders? A Ratio and Cash Flow Analysis of Five Listed Companies, FY2024–FY2026. International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, <i>02</i>(10), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i10.211

Shinde, Sudarshan, and Shantanu Patil. "How Financially Strong Are Indian FMCG Leaders? A Ratio and Cash Flow Analysis of Five Listed Companies, FY2024–FY2026." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, vol. 02, no. 10, 2026, pp. 1-9. doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i10.211.

Shinde, Sudarshan, and Shantanu Patil. "How Financially Strong Are Indian FMCG Leaders? A Ratio and Cash Flow Analysis of Five Listed Companies, FY2024–FY2026." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management 02, no. 10 (2026): 1-9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i10.211.

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References

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[10] Screener.in, balance sheet and cash flow statement data for Hindustan Unilever, Britannia Industries, Dabur India, ITC, and Nestlé India, FY2024–FY2026, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.screener.in

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  • •All submissions are screened under plagiarism detection.
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  • •Peer Review Type: Double-Blind Peer Review
  • •Published on: Oct 30 2026
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