Unilever Plc/NV, the world's third-biggest food and consumer goods group, met forecasts with a 4.5 percent increase in third-quarter underlying sales and its shares rose on confidence it will meet its 2007 sales and margin targets.
Anglo-Dutch Unilever, the maker of Sunsilk shampoo, Knorr soups and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, added that price rises and cost savings helped offset the sharp upswing in the cost of commodities such as edible oils and dairy products.