Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) disclosed on Tuesday that it embarked on a transformative five-year partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google Cloud. The deal aims to revolutionize consumer goods through advanced AI and data technologies. This collaboration intends to enhance Unilever’s brand portfolio, including well-known names like Dove and Vaseline, by leveraging Google Cloud’s AI capabilities to create a new model for consumer engagement. This strategic alliance will migrate Unilever’s data and c ...

Unilever Conference Call Summary Company Overview - **Company**: Unilever - **Business Size**: Approximately €51 billion with a 20% operating margin and over €10 billion in underlying operating profit [4][62] - **Global Presence**: Operates in 185 countries, serving 3.7 billion consumers daily [4] Key Changes and Strategic Focus - **Leadership Changes**: New CEO and CFO have been appointed, leading to a refreshed strategic direction [1][18] - **Portfolio Simplification**: Transitioned from a geographically-led model to a category-led organization, rotating 15% of the portfolio, including the demerger of the ice cream business [5][6] - **Volume Growth Focus**: Volume growth is now the primary metric for success, contrasting with past inconsistencies [5][6] - **Investment in Brands**: Competitive investment levels in brands have been restored, with 16% of revenue allocated to brand marketing [12][17] Market and Growth Strategy - **Target Categories**: Increased focus on beauty, personal care, and wellness, which now constitute 51% of the portfolio, with a goal to reach two-thirds [7][8] - **Geographical Focus**: The U.S. and India are identified as key markets, currently representing 33% of the business, with plans to increase this to 45% [8][9] - **U.S. Market Strategy**: The U.S. is seen as a critical market for building a scalable business and international brand portfolio [9][32] Financial Performance - **Cash Flow**: Achieved €6 billion in cash flow last year, with a 100% cash conversion rate [4] - **Shareholder Returns**: €6 billion returned to shareholders over the past two years, split 75% dividends and 25% share buybacks [4] - **Gross Margin Improvement**: Expanded gross margin by 460 basis points, with two-thirds of this increase reinvested into brand marketing [12][13] Innovation and Marketing - **Innovation Strategy**: Focus on superior science and aesthetics in product development, with significant investment in R&D [19][20] - **Digital and Social Media Engagement**: Increased content creation and engagement through social media, with 180,000 content creators in the beauty division [25][26] - **Consumer Engagement**: Shift towards a more community-driven marketing model, leveraging partnerships and cultural relevance [37][38] India Market Insights - **Market Potential**: India is projected to be the third-largest market globally, with significant growth opportunities [44][45] - **Market Leadership**: Unilever holds leading positions in various categories, with 85% of the business being number one in its segments [45] - **Digital Transformation**: Rapid digitization and a shift towards premium products are driving growth in India [46][47] Future Outlook - **Growth Projections**: Anticipated USG between 4%-6% for the upcoming year, with a focus on outperforming market growth [62] - **Continued Investment**: Plans for a €1.5 billion share buyback to enhance shareholder value [62] - **Long-term Strategy**: Emphasis on maintaining a leaner, stronger business model while leveraging emerging market advantages [63]

This story was originally published on CIO Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CIO Dive newsletter. Dive Brief:  Unilever plans to migrate its data and cloud platform to Google Cloud as part of a five-year partnership that will allow the company to use tools such as Vertex AI — Google Cloud’s enterprise AI platform — to build an AI-first technology foundation, the two companies announced Tuesday.  The consumer goods provider will integrate its enterprise apps and data pl ...

Turnover was EUR 50.5 billion, down 3.8% year over year, driven by a 5.9% foreign exchange headwind. Excluding currency, turnover rose 2.3%, supported by underlying sales growth and partially offset by portfolio actions. Unilever cited a net impact from acquisitions and disposals of -1.2%, with acquisitions contributing 0.6% (including Minimalist, Wild, and Dr. Squatch) and disposals contributing -1.8% (including the prior-year exits of Unilever Russia and the China water purification business, along with 2 ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For the full year, underlying sales growth was 3.5%, with volumes at 1.5% and price at 2% [5] - Turnover for the full year was EUR 50.5 billion, down 3.8% versus the prior year, primarily due to significant currency headwinds [25] - Underlying operating margin expanded by 60 basis points to 20% in 2025, reflecting a structurally strong margin profile [26] - Underlying EPS rose to EUR 3.08, up 0.7% versus the prior year, with sales growth and margin expansion contributing 6.5% to EPS growth [28] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Beauty and Wellbeing delivered underlying sales growth of 4.7% for the full year, with volumes up 2.8% [10] - Personal Care delivered underlying sales growth of 4.7% for the full year, driven by strong performance in the U.S. [11] - Home Care delivered underlying sales growth of 2.6% for the year, primarily volume-led at 2.2% [14] - Foods delivered underlying sales growth of 2.5% for the year, with 0.8% from volume and 1.7% from price [16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Developed markets delivered underlying sales growth of 3.6% for the year, while emerging markets delivered underlying sales growth of 3.5% [19][21] - In North America, underlying sales grew 5.3% for the year, with volumes contributing 3.8% [20] - In Asia Pacific Africa, underlying sales growth was 4.6% for the year, with volumes contributing 3% [21] - Latin America saw underlying sales growth of 0.5% for the year, reflecting a broad-based market slowdown [23] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to focus on beauty, wellbeing, and personal care, with an emphasis on premium segments and digitally native brands [32][34] - The company completed the demerger of ice cream and 10 transactions to sharpen its portfolio and increase focus on growth [34] - The company is committed to a disciplined capital allocation strategy, focusing on growth and productivity while delivering attractive capital returns [31][44] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The management expressed confidence in emerging markets, expecting volume growth of at least 2% in 2026 [36] - The company anticipates underlying sales growth for 2026 to be at the bottom end of the multi-year range of 4%-6% [36] - Management acknowledged challenges in developed markets but emphasized the strength of their portfolio and execution [38] Other Important Information - Free cash flow for the year was EUR 5.9 billion, representing 100% cash conversion [29] - The company has delivered more than EUR 670 million of savings from its productivity program, ahead of schedule [27][59] - The company plans to continue investing in brand and marketing, with 16.1% of turnover allocated to these areas, the highest percentage in over a decade [27] Q&A Session Questions and Answers Question: Emerging market outlook for 2026 - Management expressed confidence in emerging markets, noting improvements in India and Indonesia, and a gradual recovery in China [51][52][53] Question: Pricing outlook for 2026 - Management expects pricing growth to be around 2% for 2026, with some increased promotional spending noted [64] Question: Key building blocks for margin improvement in 2026 - Management highlighted the importance of gross margin expansion, productivity savings, and disciplined pricing as key factors for margin improvement [66][68]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For the full year, underlying sales growth was 3.5%, with volumes at 1.5% and price at 2% [5] - Turnover for the full year was EUR 50.5 billion, down 3.8% versus the prior year, primarily due to significant currency headwinds [25] - Underlying operating margin expanded by 60 basis points to 20% in 2025, reflecting a structurally strong margin profile [26] - Underlying EPS rose to EUR 3.08, up 0.7% versus the prior year, with sales growth and margin expansion contributing 6.5% to EPS growth [28] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Beauty and Wellbeing delivered underlying sales growth of 4.3%, evenly split between volume of 2.2% and price at 2.1% [10] - Personal Care delivered underlying sales growth of 4.7% for the full year, with price contributing 3.6% and volumes growing 1.1% [11] - Home Care delivered underlying sales growth of 2.6% for the year, primarily volume-led at 2.2% [14] - Foods delivered underlying sales growth of 2.5% for the year, with 0.8% from volume and 1.7% from price [16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Developed markets delivered underlying sales growth of 3.6% for the year, with North America being a standout performer [19] - Emerging markets delivered underlying sales growth of 3.5% for the year, accelerating to 5.8% in the fourth quarter [21] - In India, underlying sales grew 4% for the year, with volumes up 3% [22] - In China, underlying sales growth was flat for the year, but improved in the second half, including mid-single-digit growth in the fourth quarter [23] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to sharpen its portfolio, having rotated 15% of the total portfolio in 2025 through acquisitions and disposals [3] - Focus remains on beauty, wellbeing, and personal care, with an emphasis on premium segments and digitally native brands [34] - The company is committed to a disciplined capital allocation strategy, prioritizing growth and productivity while delivering attractive capital returns [31] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in emerging markets, expecting volume growth of at least 2% in 2026 [36] - The company anticipates underlying sales growth for the full year to be at the bottom end of the multi-year range of 4%-6% [36] - Management highlighted the importance of maintaining a focus on volume-led growth and margin expansion [43] Other Important Information - Free cash flow for the year was EUR 5.9 billion, representing 100% cash conversion [29] - The company completed an eight-for-nine share consolidation in December 2025 following the ice cream separation [29] - The productivity program has delivered more than EUR 670 million of savings, with a commitment to complete EUR 800 million by 2026 [27][59] Q&A Session Questions and Answers Question: Emerging market outlook for 2026 - Management expressed confidence in emerging markets, noting improvements in India and Indonesia, and a gradual recovery in China [51][52][53][54] Question: Pricing outlook for 2026 - Management expects pricing growth to be around 2% for 2026, with some increased promotional spending noted [62][64] Question: Key building blocks for margin improvement in 2026 - Management highlighted a structurally high gross margin and ongoing productivity initiatives as key factors supporting margin improvement [66][68]

Unilever (NYSE:UL) H2 2025 Earnings call February 12, 2026 03:00 AM ET Speaker4Hello, and welcome to Unilever's full year results announcement. Thank you for joining us. In a moment, Srinivas Phatak, our Chief Financial Officer, will take you through a detailed breakdown of Unilever results for 2025. But before that, I would like to share with you a few reflections on our performance last year. Let me start by saying that we have delivered a solid year, fully in line with our commitments, despite challengin ...

LONDON — Growth at Unilever’s beauty and well-being division outstripped the consumer giant’s overall performance in 2025, with brands including Nutrafol, Liquid I.V., Vaseline and Dove leading the way. Underlying sales in the division grew 4.3 percent to 12.8 billion euros, driven by a balance of volume and price growth. Wellness products as well as Vaseline and Dove grew in the double digits. By contrast, growth in prestige beauty, core skin care and hair care, was in the low-to-midsingle digits. More f ...

Full Year 2025 Results 12 February 2026 Fernando Fernandez & Srinivas Phatak 1 Safe harbour statement This presentation may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the securities laws of certain jurisdictions, including 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Words and terminology such as 'will', 'aim' ...

Core Insights - Oakmark International Fund's fourth-quarter 2025 investor letter highlights a focus on long-term capital appreciation through investments in non-U.S. mid and large-cap companies, with a reported return of 4.83% for the fund, slightly underperforming the MSCI World ex USA Index's gain of 5.20% [1] Fund Performance - The fund's top performance contributors were in the healthcare and financial sectors, while consumer staples were the only detractor [1] - The fund's top five holdings can be reviewed for insights into its best investment picks for 2025 [1] Company Focus: Unilever PLC - Unilever PLC is identified as a key stock in the fund's portfolio, operating in various segments including Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream [2] - As of January 14, 2026, Unilever's stock closed at $65.33, with a one-month return of -0.20% and a 10.00% gain over the last 52 weeks, alongside a market capitalization of $142.546 billion [2] - The fund appreciates Unilever's refreshed management team and their strategic initiatives aimed at improving execution and driving consistent growth, particularly in higher-margin categories [3] - Despite a strong outlook, Unilever trades at a discount compared to peers due to historical underperformance, presenting an investment opportunity in a company with strong brands and improved management [3] Market Sentiment - Morgan Stanley has resumed coverage of Unilever with an overweight view, noting that it is not among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds, with 27 hedge fund portfolios holding the stock at the end of the third quarter [4] - While acknowledging Unilever's potential, there is a belief that certain AI stocks may offer greater upside potential and lower downside risk [4]