London, Feb 8, 2026, 08:34 GMT — The market has shut for the day.
- Unilever ended Friday right where it started, holding steady at 5,250 pence per share.
- Feb. 12 brings the full-year results—marking the first update after the ice cream demerger.
- Investors await details on 2026 sales growth, as well as updates on margins and cost savings.
Unilever finished the session unchanged at 5,250 pence, with the stock moving in a range from 5,210 up to 5,298 pence. Roughly 3.2 million shares changed hands. 1
London’s closed for the weekend, so the next event traders are eyeing is Unilever’s full-year numbers Thursday. These will be the first results since the ice cream business was spun off, complicating the year-on-year figures.
The stock’s got hardly any short-term distractions, which puts the focus squarely on these results — they’re likely to spark fresh debate over whether Unilever can deliver more growth from volumes rather than just hiking prices. Investors are also watching for clearer signals on margins and the scale of cash that the newly streamlined business can send back to shareholders.
Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, noted the market is bracing for total sales to drop by about 11% to around 54.2 billion euros, with the spin-off baked in. “More important will be the outlook for 2026,” he wrote, highlighting Unilever’s 4% to 6% medium-term sales growth ambition and the expected boost tied to increased ad and brand spending. 2
Unilever plans to release fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 numbers on Feb. 12. The company has a results webcast lined up for 0800 UK time. CEO Fernando Fernandez will speak at the CAGNY conference on Feb. 17. 3
Unilever, in its pre-close aide-memoire, is projecting underlying sales growth of between 3% and 5% for the full year 2025. The company also sees fourth-quarter underlying volume growth coming in at least as strong as the 1.7% posted in the third quarter. As for margin, Unilever flagged a pick-up in underlying operating margin, setting its sights on at least 19.5% for the second half. 4
Unilever measures “real” growth using underlying sales, which blend volume and price. This time around, the headline number shrinking won’t get much attention—traders want to see if volumes stay resilient, especially as the company continues pouring money into its brands.
Familiar factors still carry weight here: cost-saving updates, shifts in pricing strategies, and the way executives characterize demand—especially when comparing growth in emerging markets to sluggishness in mature ones.
But there’s risk in both directions. Should volumes fall short, promotions tick higher, or margins lean too much on cost-cutting instead of sales, sentiment can flip fast — the demerger muddies year-on-year comps, adding another twist.
