London, Jan 7, 2026, 08:55 GMT — Regular session
Unilever PLC shares fell 0.9% to 4,703.5 pence by 08:28 GMT, leaving them down about 2.5% since Jan. 2. The stock traded between 4,698 and 4,750 pence and is about 5% below its 52-week high of 4,930 pence.
The move came as European shares paused after a string of record closes, with investors weighing U.S.-Venezuela headlines and a busy economic calendar. Oil prices fell after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington had struck a deal to import $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude, while Nestle slid after recalling some batches of infant nutrition products over possible contamination.
Investors have also been digesting Unilever’s post-ice-cream overhaul after the group split off its Magnum business in December. In the same month, Unilever said it would consolidate shares at an 8-for-9 ratio after completing the demerger.
“Our performance excluding Ice Cream showed good sequential improvement, with a step up in volume growth,” chief executive Fernando Fernandez said in Unilever’s October trading update. The company reiterated its full-year outlook for 3%-5% underlying sales growth — a measure that strips out currency swings and deal effects — and said it still expected €800 million of productivity savings. It forecast about €650 million of those savings by end-2025, with the remaining €150 million to come in 2026. Unilever
London’s FTSE 100 closed at a record high on Tuesday, rising 1.4% to 10,112.73 points, after AstraZeneca jumped on a strategic collaboration announcement and a weaker pound helped exporters. The benchmark has started 2026 strongly, with investors pricing in Bank of England rate cuts later this year.
But Unilever’s next update will need to show steady volume-led growth and clean execution after the ice cream separation, or investors may question how much of the recent sales momentum is coming from price rises rather than demand. A sharp swing in currencies or renewed cost inflation would also test margins in 2026.
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