Educational information, not financial advice or a personal recommendation. Not regulated by the FCA. Do your own research. Capital at risk.
Sterling AlmanacExploreStart hereFind your fitGlossaryCompareMy ListMy PieEarnings calendarSupport

Unilever PLC (ULVR.L)

Consumer Defensive Balanced

Unilever is a global giant behind everyday household staples like Dove soap, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

£47.43

Is Unilever PLC a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: Unilever is a global giant behind everyday household staples like Dove soap, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-7.1%
52-week range-3% past year
£47.43
Low £36.44High £55.42
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put £1,000 into Unilever PLC
£929-7%

Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
£102.13B
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
5.23M
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
£47.23 – £47.99
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
£36.44 – £55.42
P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth.
21.4
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
3.4%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
0.45
How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 0.45
Calm
Wild
Steadier than most

Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.

Why has it been moving?▼ -0% past week · ▼ -3% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

The bull case

Strong expansion in emerging markets.

The bear case

Failure to adapt to changing consumer health trends.

What does Unilever PLC do?

Unilever makes the products you likely have in your kitchen cupboards and bathroom cabinets right now. Sales of these branded goods to supermarkets and shops all over the world are what bring in the cash. Much depends on whether they can keep nudging prices up to cover their own costs without pushing shoppers toward cheaper supermarket own-brands.

VQGMI
Factor profile

On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and income, and weakest on value.

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 23Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 59Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 26Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 38Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 43
Quick checks
What's strong
  • Owns a massive portfolio of globally recognised, trusted brands.
  • Generally stable business model as people need soap and food regardless of the economy.
  • Historically consistent dividend payer for income-focused investors.
What to watch
  • Value screens low (23/100)
  • Growth screens low (26/100)
  • Inflationary pressure on raw materials squeezing profit margins.
  • Changing consumer tastes moving away from processed foods.
  • Regulatory changes regarding plastic packaging and environmental impact.

What do Unilever PLC's numbers mean?

P/E
20.3
This shows how much you are paying for every pound of the company's annual profit; a higher number suggests investors expect future growth.
Dividend yield
3.7%
This is the annual cash payout to shareholders as a percentage of the share price, which can provide a steady income stream.
Beta
0.4
This measures how much the share price swings compared to the wider market; a low number suggests it is generally less jumpy than the average stock.
Net margin
18.7%
This represents the slice of every pound of sales that the company actually keeps as profit after all its bills are paid.

Does Unilever PLC pay a dividend?

Yes - Unilever PLC currently pays a dividend of about 3.4% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.

More in Consumer Defensive

Altria GroupMcCormick & Company, IncorporatedThe Coca-Cola CompanyKenvue Inc.Philip Morris International Inc.Monster Beverage CorporationTarget CorporationPepsiCo, Inc.
Appears in
Big UK shares, explainedShares beginners actually recogniseEveryday-essentials shares, explainedUnilever vs Reckitt

What are the scenarios for Unilever PLC?

An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.

£56£47£40today · £47▲ Bull · £51• Base · £47▼ Bear · £44in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+5% to +10%Successful price increases boost profit margins.
Base
-2% to +2%Steady sales despite cost-of-living pressures.
Bear
-5% to -10%Shoppers switch to cheaper store-brand alternatives.

What are the pros and cons of Unilever PLC?

3bull points
6bear points

How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • Owns a massive portfolio of globally recognised, trusted brands.
  • Generally stable business model as people need soap and food regardless of the economy.
  • Historically consistent dividend payer for income-focused investors.
The catch3
  • Struggles to grow quickly because it is already a massive, mature company.
  • High competition from cheaper supermarket own-label products.
  • Vulnerable to rising costs of ingredients like palm oil and packaging.
Key risks3
  • Inflationary pressure on raw materials squeezing profit margins.
  • Changing consumer tastes moving away from processed foods.
  • Regulatory changes regarding plastic packaging and environmental impact.
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

Confidence: high · data: GBP · flags: none · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
Found this useful? The Almanac is free and ad-free - a coffee keeps it that way.Support →

Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Figures as of 2026-08-01. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.