Unilever's quarterly sales growth beats estimates

Dove soap maker Unilever beat market expectations for second-quarter underlying sales growth on Thursday, driven by higher pricing. The consumer goods company reported underlying sales growth of 3.8% for the three months ended June 30, compared with 3.6% expected by analysts in a company-compiled poll. Unilever's ice cream business, called The Magnum Ice Cream Company, is on track for demerger in mid-November, the company said.