Unilever PLC stock is closing out 2025 with a very different “shape” than it started with: the group has completed the separation of its Ice Cream business into The Magnum Ice Cream Company, tightened its portfolio toward higher-growth categories like Beauty & Wellbeing, and leaned harder into digital-first marketing under CEO Fernando Fernández.
On Christmas Eve (Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025), trading was predictably thin. In London, Unilever (LSE: ULVR) finished the session at 4,857.5p, with reported volume dramatically below recent norms. [1]
Below is the full stock-focused update as of 24.12.2025, pulling together the most relevant news, forecasts, and analyst views investors are tracking into early 2026.
Unilever share price today: ULVR in London, UL in New York
London (ULVR): Unilever’s UK listing ended Dec. 24 at 4,857.5p (open 4,860p; low 4,845p). [2]
For broader context on where Unilever sits inside the UK market, Interactive Investor’s “FTSE 100 largest companies” snapshot lists Unilever around 4,890p, with a market cap near £106.6bn, a 3.4% forward dividend yield, and a 17.6 forward P/E (figures shown in that table at the time of publication). [3]
New York (UL ADR): In the U.S., Unilever’s ADR (NYSE: UL) most recently showed $65.73 as the last close referenced on Stock Analysis, with after-hours trading also displayed. [4]
The big December catalyst: Magnum Ice Cream demerger and the 8-for-9 share consolidation
Unilever’s biggest equity story in December wasn’t a new product launch—it was corporate mechanics.
1) The share consolidation: why the “price jump” can be misleading
After completing the demerger, Unilever carried out a share consolidation at an 8-new-for-9-old ratio, with new shares expected to begin trading in London on Dec. 9. [5]
That kind of corporate action often creates confusion on charts and screeners because the per-share price is adjusted upward when the share count is reduced—without changing the underlying value of the overall holding, all else equal.
2) The demerger: what Unilever shareholders received
Unilever has described the strategic intent clearly: the separation is designed to create “a simpler Unilever” and a “world-leading Ice Cream business” (The Magnum Ice Cream Company). [6]
Key mechanics and implications disclosed by Unilever include:
- Share distribution: qualifying shareholders were set to receive 1 Magnum Ice Cream Company share for every 5 Unilever shares held. [7]
- Unilever’s retained stake: Unilever planned to keep ~19.9% of the spun entity for up to five years, then sell it down “in an orderly” way to help cover separation costs and maintain capital flexibility. [8]
Reuters also reported that the demerger was completed and that Magnum began trading in Amsterdam, alongside the 8-for-9 consolidation. [9]
Why investors care: margins, focus, and whether “ice-cream-free Unilever” can grow faster
The bullish thesis is simple to say and hard to execute: cut complexity, re-rate margins, and push capital and management attention toward faster-growing categories.
Management’s margin and growth framing
In Unilever’s Q3 update and outlook statements, the company reaffirmed its 2025 full-year outlook, including:
- expected underlying sales growth within a 3% to 5% range
- an anticipated improvement in underlying operating margin, with second-half margins of at least 18.5%, and at least 19.5% excluding Ice Cream [10]
Reuters’ deeper dive on the spin-off emphasized the strategic pressure this creates: once the ice cream supply-chain complexity is removed, investors typically demand clearer evidence that the remaining portfolio can deliver higher growth and structurally better margins. [11]
The portfolio tilt: Beauty & Wellbeing as the growth engine
Unilever’s own Q3 commentary spotlighted faster growth in Beauty & Wellbeing (with brands including Liquid I.V., Nutrafol, Vaseline cited as standouts) and reinforced the priority areas as Beauty, Wellbeing and Personal Care, premium segments, digital commerce, and “anchoring” growth in the U.S. and India. [12]
The marketing bet: “influencer-first,” plus a senior leadership reshuffle
One of the most current Unilever narratives circulating on Dec. 24 is not strictly about quarterly numbers—it’s about how the company plans to win consumer attention.
Unilever’s influencer strategy goes mainstream
A Business Insider report published today describes Unilever’s “influencer-first” strategy, highlighting statements that Unilever intended to:
- work with 20 times more influencers than before
- shift 50% of its ad budget to social media (from ~30% previously cited)
- and that Fernández said Unilever was already working with close to 300,000 influencers globally [13]
For equity investors, the practical question is whether this approach becomes a durable edge (better brand heat, faster innovation adoption, improved ROI on marketing spend), or simply a higher-cost arms race.
Marketing leadership change effective Jan. 1, 2026
Separately, Unilever announced changes to “accelerate its global marketing transformation,” including that Leandro Barreto would become Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever and Beauty & Wellbeing, from Jan. 1, 2026. [14]
That timing matters: it places another execution milestone right at the start of 2026—exactly when markets tend to re-price “turnaround stories” based on early-year operating cadence.
Ongoing risk factor: Ben & Jerry’s dispute follows Magnum out the door
The Ice Cream separation does not mean the Unilever ecosystem is free from controversy. It mainly means the controversy is now aimed at a different corporate target.
Reuters reported this month that Ben & Jerry’s independent board said additional directors could face removal, argued certain actions violated its 2000 merger agreement, and indicated it planned to add Magnum as a defendant in related litigation. [15]
For Unilever shareholders, the relevance is twofold:
- reputational and governance headlines can still influence sentiment, even if the asset is deconsolidated or reported differently; and
- the market may discount value when legal uncertainty feels open-ended.
Unilever stock forecast: what analysts are projecting into 2026
Forecasts come in two flavors: company-compiled sell-side consensus and platform-compiled price targets.
Unilever’s published sell-side consensus for growth
On its “Upcoming results and events” page, Unilever publishes a consensus collection (compiled between late Sept. and mid-Oct. 2025) showing estimates including:
- Q4 2025 underlying sales growth:4.4%
- Full-year 2025 underlying sales growth:3.7% [16]
Unilever explicitly notes this is a compilation of independent analyst projections and is not an endorsement—but it’s still a useful “center of gravity” for expectations. [17]
Price targets: UL (NYSE) and ULVR (London)
For the U.S.-listed ADR (UL), MarketBeat summarizes a 12‑month analyst price-target spread:
- average target:$71.11
- high:$82.13
- low:$60.10 [18]
For the London listing (ULVR), MarketBeat’s “instant alert” summaries describe a mixed stance (often labeled “Hold” in aggregate) and highlight diverging broker calls—such as JPMorgan with a higher target and firms like Jefferies/UBS more cautious. [19]
A fresh example of a cautious broker view
An Investing.com report notes TD Cowen lowered its Unilever price target to $70 and trimmed organic growth assumptions (including citing 3.5% for FY2025 and 3.8% for FY2026 excluding Ice Cream in that analysis). [20]
The through-line: even after the demerger, the debate is less about “Can Unilever execute?” and more about “How fast—and how consistently—can it do it?”
Dividend update: what Unilever has paid most recently
Unilever’s dividend calendar shows Q3 2025 dividend milestones (including the payment timeline). [21]
From Unilever’s Q3 statement, the quarterly interim dividend for Q3 was €0.4528, and Unilever indicated it anticipated paying its Q4 2025 quarterly dividend in full, despite the Ice Cream demerger timing. [22]
Next major catalyst: Unilever earnings date and 2026 event schedule
If you’re building a calendar around Unilever PLC stock, the company’s investor schedule currently lists:
- Q4 & Full-Year 2025 Results:12 February 2026
- CAGNY Conference 2026:17 February 2026
- Q1 2026 Trading Statement:30 April 2026 [23]
That Feb. 12 results release is the next “big re-pricing” moment—especially because it will be one of the first full-year reads with the post-spin structure clearly laid out for investors.
The bottom line for Unilever PLC stock heading into 2026
As of Dec. 24, 2025, Unilever stock sits in the classic “prove it” zone:
- The portfolio simplification is real (Magnum is out; Unilever is structurally simpler). [24]
- The strategic pivot is clear (premium, Beauty & Wellbeing, U.S./India focus, digital commerce). [25]
- The execution narrative is loud (influencer-first marketing at massive scale; marketing org reshaped effective Jan. 1, 2026). [26]
- The headline risks haven’t vanished (Ben & Jerry’s governance/legal dispute now tied to Magnum, but still in the Unilever universe). [27]
What decides the next leg for UL/ULVR is likely not one single datapoint, but whether 2026 brings repeatable volume-led growth, margin delivery consistent with guidance, and evidence that the new marketing engine is improving brand momentum without simply inflating costs. [28]
References
1. shareprices.com, 2. shareprices.com, 3. www.ii.co.uk, 4. stockanalysis.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.unilever.com, 7. www.unilever.com, 8. www.unilever.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.unilever.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.unilever.com, 13. www.businessinsider.com, 14. www.unilever.com, 15. www.reuters.com, 16. www.unilever.com, 17. www.unilever.com, 18. www.marketbeat.com, 19. www.marketbeat.com, 20. in.investing.com, 21. www.unilever.com, 22. www.unilever.com, 23. www.unilever.com, 24. www.reuters.com, 25. www.unilever.com, 26. www.businessinsider.com, 27. www.reuters.com, 28. www.unilever.com
