Unilever (NYSE:UL) Q3 2025 Earnings Call October 23, 2025 03:30 AM ET Speaker1Hello and welcome to Unilever's third quarter trading statement for 2025. Thank you for being with us today. I am joined here by Srinivas Phatak. Srinivas's appointment as Chief Financial Officer was confirmed by the Board last month following an extensive search process. Srinivas's vast experience and expertise are great assets for Unilever and I am really delighted we will keep building on the strong partnership that we have for ...

Core Insights - Unilever announced a delay in the timeline for the planned demerger of The Magnum Ice Cream Company due to the U.S. federal government shutdown [1] Company Summary - The demerger of The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which is part of Unilever's strategy, is now postponed, with further updates on the revised schedule expected [1]

Company Values & Leadership Change - Jerry's resignation is driven by concerns that Unilever and Magnum are stifling Ben & Jerry's values [1] - Jerry's personal well-being and adherence to Ben & Jerry's values are paramount in his decision to resign [1] - The remaining leadership intends to fight to preserve the values and the heart and soul of Ben & Jerry's [1] Strategic Objectives - The company aims to create consumer demand to pressure Magnum to adhere to the acquisition agreement [1] - The ultimate goal is for Ben & Jerry's to be owned by a group of socially aligned investors [1]

Core Insights - Jerry Greenfield announced his resignation from the ice-cream company he co-founded with Ben Cohen [1] Company Summary - The company is known for its ice-cream products and was co-founded by Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen [1]

Core Insights - Magnum CEO Peter ter Kulve emphasized that the company is not considering selling Ben & Jerry's and is focused on regaining market share and increasing sales as it prepares for its spin-off from Unilever [2][5] - Unilever's ice cream business, which includes brands like Magnum and Ben & Jerry's, is projected to hold over 20% of the approximately $88 billion global ice cream market, competing against rivals such as Nestle-backed Froneri [3] - The separation from Unilever has allowed Magnum to invest in supply chains, sales, and distribution, marking a significant shift after years of declining market share and stagnant profits [3] Company Developments - The CEO of Unilever, Fernando Fernandez, is implementing changes to streamline management and enhance profit margins, with Unilever retaining less than 20% of the ice cream business post-listing [7] - Magnum's CFO Abhijit Bhattacharya stated that the demerger is beneficial for both Unilever and Magnum, allowing Unilever to focus its portfolio while giving Magnum the chance to improve margins [7] - The demerger structure ensures that Unilever shareholders will receive a stake in Magnum, which helps mitigate the market volatility typically associated with an IPO [8]

Group 1 - Magnum CEO Peter ter Kulve emphasized that the company is not considering selling Ben & Jerry's and is focused on reclaiming market share and growing sales as it prepares for its spin-off from Unilever [1][3] - Unilever's ice cream business, which includes brands like Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, Wall's, and Cornetto, is expected to hold over 20% of the approximately $88 billion global ice cream market, competing with rivals such as Nestle-backed Froneri [1] - The separation from Unilever has allowed Magnum to invest in supply chains, sales, and distribution, leading to a significant increase in market share last year [2] Group 2 - Unilever's CEO Fernando Fernandez is implementing changes to streamline management and enhance margins, with the company retaining less than 20% of the ice cream business post-listing [4] - The demerger will provide every Unilever shareholder with a relative stake in Magnum, which is expected to mitigate market volatility typically associated with an IPO [5] - Magnum's CFO Abhijit Bhattacharya stated that the split is beneficial for both Unilever and Magnum, allowing Unilever to focus its portfolio while giving Magnum the opportunity to improve margins [4][5]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article highlights Unilever's strong second-quarter sales growth driven by robust demand in North America and Europe, exceeding market expectations while maintaining its full-year sales forecast [1] - For the three months ending June 30, Unilever reported a 3.8% growth in underlying sales, surpassing analysts' expectations of 3.6% [1] - The company achieved an underlying operating profit of €5.8 billion for the first half of the year, slightly above the market expectation of €5.7 billion [1] Group 2 - Unilever has undertaken several organizational and operational changes over the past year to address poor performance and improve profit margins, including plans to spin off its ice cream business, which includes Ben & Jerry's and Magnum, layoffs, and the dismissal of former CEO Hein Schumacher in February [1] - The ice cream business, named The Magnum Ice Cream Company, is set to be spun off in mid-November [1] - CEO Fernando Fernandez stated that the company's priorities moving forward are clear: focusing more on beauty, health, and personal care; disproportionate investments in the U.S. and India; and increased attention to premium segments and digital commerce [1] Group 3 - Despite maintaining its sales forecast for 2025 and emphasizing growth areas, Unilever's free cash flow decreased by 50% from €2.2 billion in the same period last year to €1.1 billion in the first half of this year, raising concerns about financial pressures related to supply chain changes, tariff uncertainties, and costs associated with the ice cream business spin-off [1] - The company anticipates growth in the second half of the year, with resilient markets in North America and Europe, and improvements expected in India, China, and Indonesia [2] - Unilever previously indicated that the impact of U.S. tariffs is expected to be limited and manageable [2]

H1 2025 Performance - Unilever's H1 2025 underlying sales growth (USG) was 3.4%, driven by 1.5% underlying volume growth (UVG) and 1.9% underlying price growth (UPG)[10] - Power Brands' Q2 2025 USG improved to 4.4%, with 2.1% UVG and 2.3% UPG[12] - The company's turnover decreased by 3.2% year-over-year, from €31.1 billion in H1 2024 to €30.1 billion in H1 2025, impacted by net disposals and adverse currency effects[48] Segment Performance - North America achieved 5.4% USG in H1 2025, representing 23% of Group turnover[13] - Europe saw 3.4% USG in H1 2025, with 3.7% UVG and 1.6% UPG, accounting for 21% of Group turnover[15, 16] - Asia Pacific Africa (APA) experienced 3.5% USG in H1 2025, while Latin America had 0.5% USG[19] - Beauty & Wellbeing segment achieved 3.7% USG in H1 2025, with a €6.5 billion turnover[21, 22] - Dove's H1 2025 USG was 4.8%, driven by 3.3% UPG and 1.4% UVG[26] Strategic Initiatives - The Ice Cream business demerger is on track for mid-November, with Unilever retaining less than 20% stake in TMICC[8, 45] - Post demerger, based on FY 2024 financials, Unilever expects approximately €52 billion turnover, +160 bps GM, +100 bps UOM, +100 bps ROIC, ~100% cash conversion, and ~2x expected leverage[70] Financial Outlook - The company is on track to deliver its full-year 2025 outlook, including an improvement in FY underlying operating margin and USG within the 3-5% range[62, 63] - The company expects second half margins of at least 18.5%[63] - The company completed €1.5 billion share buyback in H1 2025[61]

Q1 2025 Performance Highlights - Unilever Power Brands achieved 3.0% underlying sales growth (USG), driven by 1.3% underlying volume growth (UVG) and 1.7% underlying price growth (UPG)[9] - Beauty & Wellbeing turnover reached €3.3 billion, with 4.1% USG, comprising 1.5% UVG and 2.5% UPG[15, 16] - Personal Care reported 5.1% USG, with 2.4% UVG and 2.7% UPG, fueled by strong Dove performance[21] - Home Care experienced 1.0% USG, with flat UVG and 0.9% UPG, impacted by destocking in Brazil and business resets in China & Indonesia[24] - Foods saw a 1.6% USG, with (1.1)% UVG and 2.7% UPG, affected by a decline in Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) China due to the timing of Chinese New Year[28] - Ice Cream achieved 1.8% USG, with (0.5)% UVG and 2.2% UPG, driven by innovation and operational improvements[30] Regional Performance - North America showed 6.2% USG, with 4.0% UVG and 2.1% UPG, representing 22% of Group turnover[34] - Europe reported 3.2% USG, with 3.0% UVG and 0.2% UPG, accounting for 20% of Group turnover[34] - Latin America experienced 1.5% USG, with (3.0)% UVG and 4.6% UPG, representing 14% of Group turnover[34] - Asia Pacific Africa achieved 2.0% USG, with 0.6% UVG and 1.3% UPG, accounting for 44% of Group turnover[34] Financial Outlook and Strategic Initiatives - Q1 2025 turnover was €14.8 billion, a (0.9)% decrease including a (2.7)% impact from net disposals[36] - Unilever reconfirmed its full-year 2025 financial outlook, projecting underlying sales growth within the 3-5% range and modest improvement in underlying operating margin[39, 40] - The separation of the Ice Cream business is on track to be completed by the end of 2025, with operational separation by July 1st and reporting as a discontinued operation from Q4[37, 38]