London, Jan 23, 2026, 09:26 GMT — Regular session
- Unilever shares climbed roughly 0.7% in early London trading.
- Barclays lifted its target price, while Jefferies maintained a Sell rating.
- Europe’s STOXX 600 fell, with investors holding back ahead of PMI releases and weighing ongoing trade tensions.
Unilever PLC shares climbed 0.7% to roughly 4,849 pence by 0926 GMT, buoyed by new broker notes that kept the spotlight on the consumer goods giant ahead of its upcoming earnings.
This move is key as investors scramble to define what “steady” means for major consumer staples amid a volatile market, where trade headlines and data risks are once again taking center stage.
This comes just before Unilever’s next earnings update, with fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results set for Feb. 12. The company is also slated to speak at the CAGNY consumer conference on Feb. 17.
Barclays analyst Warren Ackerman stuck with a Buy rating and nudged up his target price to 5,700 pence from 5,500, a broker’s forecast for the stock over the next year, according to a dpa-AFX note on MarketScreener.
Jefferies held its ground, with analyst David Hayes sticking to a Sell rating, according to MarketScreener’s dpa-AFX feed.
European shares edged lower Friday, with the STOXX 600 shedding 0.2%, set to close the week in the red. Investors digested new friction in U.S.-Europe trade over Greenland and braced for upcoming PMI data from both regions.
Unilever’s upcoming earnings report comes on the heels of last month’s restructuring tied to the Magnum ice cream spin-off. That included an 8-for-9 share consolidation, which began trading in early December.
Some investors remain focused on the fallout from that split. On Thursday, Magnum — now overseeing Unilever’s old ice cream unit — accused former Ben & Jerry’s board chair Anuradha Mittal of “serious misconduct,” according to a court filing tied to an ongoing governance dispute at the brand, Reuters reported. Reuters
Still, the boost from broker chatter could evaporate quickly if the numbers come up short. Signs of slowing volume growth, waning pricing power, or rising costs might squeeze the trading range, especially since valuations are already stretched for defensive stocks.
Friday’s PMI numbers will give traders an immediate read on demand before attention turns to Unilever’s Feb. 12 earnings. Investors will be looking closely for clues on margins and how the newly separated business is performing as 2026 approaches.
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