New Delhi, Feb. 6 -- ITC Ltd's net profit for the December quarter topped market estimates, even as the company faced escalation in costs of key input materials such as leaf tobacco and edible oil, among others.

The maker of Gold Flake cigarettes and Bingo chips reported a 1.18% rise in standalone net profit to Rs.5,638.25 crore in the third quarter, up from Rs.5,572.07 crore in the year-ago period, and topping the Rs.5,200-crore estimate of 18 analysts in a Bloomberg survey.

In a filing to the stock exchanges, the company lauded the Union budget 2025 for its proposals that address areas such as employment and employability, augmenting physical, digital and social infrastructure, strengthening MSMEs, tackling climate emergency, promotin...