** Honasa Consumer HONA.NS rises 9% to 293.7 rupees, set for best day in about three months

** Co's Q1 revenue rises 7.4% y/y while core profit rises 7.7%, with margins improving by 48 bps y/y

** Jefferies (maintains 'buy' and PT of 400 rupees) says, despite the impact of unseasonal rains on sunscreen sales, Honasa's core profit margin improved sequentially

** Emkay (maintains 'sell' and PT of 250 rupees) says active ingredient and science-focused Derma Co remains the fastest-growing brand but faces rising competition

** Stock rated "hold" on avg by 12 analysts; median PT of 295 rupees, implies less than 1% upside to current price

** YTD, Honasa up 15%

(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru)

((Ananta.Agarwal@thomsonreuters.com))