Unilever is scheduled to report results for the second quarter and first half on Tuesday. Here is what you need to know.
SALES FORECAST: The maker of Dove soap is expected to report 4.3% growth in underlying sales for the second quarter of 2026, according to company-compiled analysts' estimates. The year prior, it reported 3.1% growth in underlying sales for the period. Turnover for the second quarter is anticipated at 12.90 billion euros ($14.67 billion), according to analysts' estimates.
EARNINGS FORECAST: For the first half of 2026, underlying operating profit is expected at 5.16 billion euros, according to company-compiled analysts' estimates. Underlying earnings per share are expected at around 1.59 euros for the half year.
Shares in the U.K. consumer-goods giant are down 5.84% this year to Friday's close.
WHAT TO WATCH
-- Unilever's biggest portfolio shuffle yet--combining the foods business with McCormick--looms over its first-half earnings. The deal has left investors cautious, but is increasingly coming in favor with the confirmation of a secondary McCormick listing in London, said Warren Ackerman at Barclays. The combination of foods businesses had previously left some investors in London-based Unilever leery of holding shares in a large publicly traded U.S. food company, analysts have said.
-- For Unilever, the deal with the U.S.-headquartered McCormick is part of a major strategy shift to home in on beauty, personal-care and home products. The consumer-goods company is poised to excel in its home and personal care arm, further bolstering the argument for a separation of its foods business, according to Ackerman. The portfolio, minus foods, could deliver around 5.9% growth, Barclays estimates. "Given pedestrian growth from many global HPC peers, this level of growth should justify a much higher multiple," Ackerman said.
-- Emerging markets momentum is expected to be strong, particularly in India, Ackerman said. Local players such as Dabur, Nestle India and Godrej reported very strong results in the market, he added.
Write to Aimee Look at aimee.look@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 27, 2026 03:38 ET (07:38 GMT)
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