Unilever PLC (UL)

The story here is that Unilever PLC's (LSE:ULVR) organic sales growth (OSG) for the second quarter came in at 3.8%, which Barclays sees as competitive, especially against tough comparisons and in a tricky consumer environment. Looking ahead, it forecasts OSG picking up sequentially to 4.1% in Q3 and 4.6% in Q4, driven by a bounce-back in Asia and sustained momentum in developed markets.

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL ) Q2 2025 Earnings Conference Call July 31, 2025 3:00 AM ET Company Participants Fernando Fernandez - CEO & Director Jemma Spalton - Head of Investor Relations Srinivas Phatak - Acting CFO & Group Controller Conference Call Participants Callum Elliott - Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC.

Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR) reported an improvement in sales growth in the second quarter of the year but saw profits shrink. The FTSE 100-listed consumer goods giant posted interim results showing underlying sales growth of 3.4% for the six month of 2025, boosted by growth of 3.8% in the second quarter, which was stronger than analysts expected.

Unilever's transformation—simplified structure, focused leadership, and strategic spinoffs—positions it to finally break out of a near decade-long stagnation. Core strengths remain unmatched: global distribution reach and powerful brands, especially in emerging markets, support long-term growth potential. New CEO Fernandez brings operational discipline, prioritizing gross margin and hard-currency EPS growth, with executive incentives aligned to these goals.

Miami, FL, July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ONAR Holding Corporation (OTCQB: ONAR), a fast-growing marketing-technology company and network of performance-driven agencies, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Retina.ai, an AI-powered marketing intelligence platform that predicts customer value early in the lifecycle and unlocks higher return on every marketing dollar. ONAR plans to merge Retina.ai with its predictive analytics platform, Cortex, which is part of its ONAR Labs venture studio.

EL, COTY and ULTA are tapping AI, e-commerce, and clean beauty to ride the next wave of long-term industry growth.

Jochanan Senf, a Dutch Unilever executive who previously managed Ben & Jerry's Europe business, will start in the new role this month.

Jochanan Senf, a longtime Unilever executive, starts in the role this month.

A campaign for Crumbl cookie-scented Dove was pushed by an army of influencers—with AI help. And Unilever aims to bring the same playbook to more of its humdrum toiletries.

As you look at the stock markets around the world, it's always a balance of trying to decide when is the right time to buy.

Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR) has had a shaky first half, but Barclays reckons the consumer goods heavyweight could be about to turn a corner. The shares have been lagging, down nearly 6% this year, underperforming the broader European staples sector.

Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR) is reported to be paying $1.5 billion to acquire men's personal care brand Dr Squatch from private equity group Summit Partners. The transaction, first announced on Monday, is part of Unilever's strategy to grow its presence in premium and high-growth categories.

Unilever is paying $1.5 billion to buy men's personal care brand Dr Squatch from private equity firm Summit Partners, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing sources.

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them. As the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation reaches the qualifying full retirement age, a considerable number of those entering or already enjoying retirement need to find a balance in their time management. Specifically, they need to find equilibrium between the time they devote to managing their retirement portfolios and the time they spend on travel, hobbies and other opportunities that were hindered by employment responsibilities. For those seeking to devote a minimum amount of work to the former while simultaneously being able to enjoy the latter (without undue daily financial worries), two Charles Schwab’s exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have proven to be a popular solution since the 1990s. 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Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Don’t waste another minute; get started by clicking here. (Sponsor) Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF Among retirees, the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (NYSE: SCHD) is an ETF that meets the growth, income and stability requirements of many portfolios that are providing living expense funds for those in their golden years. Designed to track the Dow Jones US Dividend 100 Index, stocks under consideration for inclusion in SCHD must meet the following criteria: Minimum of 10 consecutive years of dividend payments Floating market capitalization minimum of $500 minimum Minimum average daily trading volume of $2 million Schwab deploys a four-step calculation that determines ranking, which may differ from that of the Dow Jones US Dividend 100 Index: Cash flow-to-total dDebt ratio Return on equity Dividend yield Five-year dividend growth rate The top 100 scoring companies are included in the index. If two companies have the same score, the one with the larger dividend gets the higher ranking. At the time of this writing, other SCHD details include: Dividend Yield 3.97% Dividend Payment Frequency Quarterly Dividend Growth (trailing) 16.69% Dividend Payout Ratio 56.99% Total Assets $68.16 billion Daily Trade Volume Average 18.26 million shares Inception Date 10-20-2011 Expense Ratio 0.06% 1-year trailing return 3.92% 3-year trailing return 3.77% 5-year trailing return 12.23% 10-year trailing return 10.58% The top five weighted holdings in SCHD exemplify how the ETF provides investors with exposure to numerous sectors: Coca-Cola: 4.35% Verizon Communications: 4.34% Altria Group: 4.30% Lockheed Martin: 4.26% Cisco Systems: 4.17% The top five weighted sectors in SCHD are: Consumer defensive: 19.65% Energy: 18.80% Health care: 14.55% Industrials: 11.13% Technology: 10.76% A minimum of 90% of the stocks in the SCHD portfolio are also in the Dow Jones US Dividend 100 Index, although rankings may differ. Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF For equivalent levels of criteria selection, growth potential, income, and stability in an international ETF, the Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF (NYSE: SCHY) complements SCHD very seamlessly in a portfolio. Similarly to SCHD, SCHY will only consider companies with a minimum unbroken 10-year track record of dividend payouts, as well as market cap and liquidity parameters. The next 4 calculated elements determine rankings: Cash flow-to-total debt ratio Return on equity Dividend yield Five-year dividend growth rate The top 400 stocks that make the cut are then calculated for historical price volatility, and those that exceed the overall average are eliminated from the running. The final 100 that make the cut that are added to the portfolio, under the following weighting caps, which are adjusted and rebalanced each quarter: No individual stock weighting to exceed 4% No sector weighting to exceed 15% Any emerging market sector stocks cannot collectively exceed 15% Dividend Yield 3.89% Dividend Payment Frequency Quarterly Dividend Growth (trailing 3-years)) 20.29% Dividend Payout Ratio 54.80% Total Assets $1.1 billion Daily Trade Volume Average 361,208 shares Inception Date 10-20-2011 Expense Ratio 0.08% 1-year trailing return 15.46% 3-year trailing return 7.67% 5-year trailing return N/A 10-year trailing return N/A Like SCHD, the top five weighted holdings in SCHY also span numerous sectors: Enel SpA: 4.69% Wesfarmers Ltd.: 4.22% Vinci SA: 4.18% British American Tobacco: 4.04% Unilever: 4.02% The top five weighted sectors in SCHY are: Consumer defensive: 15.82% Financial services: 15.33% Communications services: 13.15% Industrials: 12.07% Health care: 11.44% Some Strategies to Keep in Mind Selection for asset liquidations mandated under RMD rules should be submitted to careful deliberation in order to maintain income stream while preserving sufficient growth to keep up with inflation. Retirees that are relying on their portfolio for their living expense income will likely want to keep the following tips in mind if adding SCHD and/or SCHY to an IRA: SCHD dividends are qualified dividends, meaning that they qualify for taxations at lower capital gains rates than as income. As dividends from SCHY are from international companies, portions of those dividends may not qualify, depending on criteria such as if the stock meets the minimum 61-day holding threshold from the ETF, etc. A tax-professional should likely be consulted if there are any questions. Required minimum distribution (RMD) mandates commence when an account holder reaches age 73. Depending on what other assets are in the portfolio, the long term viability of SCHD and SCHY to continue steady growth and continued reliable income should be weighed against any other assets to determine if they should be incrementally liquidated to meet RMD dictates, or if other growth assets might be more suitable. The combination of growth, income and diversity offered from SCHD and SCHY might weather future market turbulence better than other assets which might be more geared for growth or only for income, and thus more vulnerable. The post 2 Schwab ETFs for Steady Retirement Income appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Barclays takes a cautiously optimistic view of Unilever PLC's (LSE:ULVR) proposed demerger of its ice cream division, home to iconic brands like Magnum, Ben & Jerry's and Wall's, arguing that execution risk and valuation uncertainties may temper the market's enthusiasm in the near term. The planned separation, expected to be completed by the end of 2025, is part of Unilever's broader strategy to sharpen its focus on faster-growing, higher-margin segments.

UBS has stuck a 'sell' tag on Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR), arguing that optimism around its upcoming ice cream spin-off may already be baked into the share price. With the stock trading at 4,637p and the broker setting a 12-month target of 4,000p, the downside case rests on the view that the Anglo-Dutch giant's turnaround narrative faces structural and cyclical hurdles.