Unilever Sales Lifted by Dove Soap, India Beauty Demand

"Unilever Plc posted better-than-expected sales at the end of last year, boosted by premium beauty and home care products in key emerging markets including India and China. The maker of Dove soap said Thursday underlying fourth-quarter sales rose 4.2 percent, above the 4 percent analysts anticipated. It also announced a €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) share buyback starting in the second quarter. The results are the first after Unilever spun off its ice-cream business - which included Ben & Jerry's - and come as Chief Executive Officer Fernando Fernandez nears his first full year at the helm."

"Extending a turnaround plan begun by his predecessor, Fernandez is streamlining the sprawling group by selling brands that don't scale internationally, and focusing on boosting the multinational's most successful products. Investors have welcomed that strategy, with shares of Unilever up 9.5 percent this year through Wednesday's close. They slipped as much as 2 percent in early trading in London on Thursday after opening higher."

"The results were "bang in line" with expectations, RBC Capital Markets analyst James Edwardes Jones said in a note, though he warned the 2026 guidance "feels spicy" and that 2 percent volume growth would be a "big ask." Unilever expects sales growth this fiscal year to be "at the bottom end" of its 4 percent to 6 percent multiyear target range, in line with analysts' expectations. It was 3.5 percent in 2025, which was also toward the lower end of its target."

Underlying fourth-quarter sales rose 4.2 percent, exceeding the 4 percent analysts anticipated. Unilever announced a €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) share buyback beginning in the second quarter. The results followed the spin-off of the ice-cream business, including Ben & Jerry's, as Fernando Fernandez approaches his first full year as CEO. Fernandez is streamlining the group by selling brands that lack international scale and concentrating on the most successful global products. Sales benefited from premium beauty and home care, with strong Vaseline and Dove performance, China and Indonesia returning to growth, and market share gains in the US. Fiscal-year sales are expected at the bottom end of the 4–6 percent target range.

Read at The Business of Fashion