London, Feb 7, 2026, 08:26 GMT — Markets are shut.
- Unilever shares closed the day unchanged at 5,250p, trailing the wider UK market’s gains.
- Unilever has issued 4.2 million new shares tied to employee schemes, according to a regulatory notice.
- Attention now turns to Unilever’s Q4 and full-year numbers, due Feb. 12. Investor events are lined up for the week after.
Unilever PLC closed flat at 5,250 pence on Friday, having traded in a 5,210p to 5,298p range. The stock finished the week roughly 6% higher. London’s markets are now closed for the weekend, and Unilever’s results are on deck early next week. 1
Shares took a breather as the FTSE 100 ended Friday up 0.6%, lifted by big banks and following signals from the Bank of England that rate cuts might be on the table if inflation keeps easing. For Unilever, typically seen as a defensive pick, traders are now eyeing whether earnings can justify the stock’s latest run rather than watching the broader index. 2
Unilever plans to report Q4 and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 12, with the CAGNY Conference set for Feb. 17, the company’s investor calendar shows. Analyst consensus on the same page signals 3.9% underlying sales growth for Q4, 3.5% for the year, a 20.0% underlying operating margin, and underlying EPS at 3.05 euros. 3
This week’s other regulatory update from Unilever was mostly procedural. The company disclosed it had issued 4.2 million new ordinary shares, now trading on the London Stock Exchange, to satisfy employee share plan vesting. That bumps the total number of admitted ordinary shares up to 2,185,205,247. 4
Investors want to know if it’s volumes pushing results. Consumer staples can juice growth through pricing, though markets tend to punish when demand appears soft and promotions reappear.
Margins are set to face more scrutiny. Investors will be combing through any signals on input costs, as well as watching to see if brand spending is ticking higher with competition heating up in staples like personal care, home care, and packaged foods.
Peers factor into the read-across regardless of whether they’re reporting this day. European staples and global packaged goods names still fall into the “defensives” camp as the tape churns, but earnings season usually changes the narrative fast.
Still, there’s a risk lurking here. If volumes disappoint, if margin guidance comes in soft, or if it looks like price-driven growth is stalling, those gains from earlier in the week could vanish fast—especially with the stock already pressed up against the high end of its recent range.
Unilever’s U.S. ADR wrapped up Friday in New York with a 0.8% gain, closing at $72.12.
The mood next week will probably swing on Unilever’s Feb. 12 results and, maybe more importantly, whatever management reveals—or leaves unsaid—about 2026 demand and profit targets. Not long after, on Feb. 17 at CAGNY, investors will be scanning for fresh hints on strategy and how categories are shaping up.
