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UL

NYSE
Favorable · 60/100

Unilever PLC

Consumer Staples
Consumer products

$60.90

1.8%

Updated Today 3:42 PM ET

Report Card

UL at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.

Value
0
Growth
0
Profitability
0
Health
0
Dividends
0

Overall: Favorable · 60/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.

Price — Past Year

▼ Down 11.5% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageDCF fair value ±15%Source: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$126.40B

P/E

12.27x

Forward P/E (est.)

8.76x

ROE

56.8%

Revenue Growth

-3.8%

EPS Growth

67.5%

Profit Margin

18.8%

FCF Yield

6.0%

Debt / Equity

1.78x

ROIC

17.0%

Interest Coverage

7.58x

Current Ratio

0.79x

Dividend Yield

3.7%

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

2.9%

Rating Score

60/100

Business Overview
Research

Unilever PLC (UL) is a large-cap company in the Consumer products industry, part of the Consumer Staples sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $126.40B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $54.54B in revenue and $10.23B in net profit.

Our model rates UL Favorable (60/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Economic Moat

Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).

Narrow moat signalsMoat evidence score: 62/100

Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.

Gross margin level64/100

45.7% average over the last 3 years

Gross margin stability77/100

±1.9 pts around 43.7% across 10 years

Revenue durability28/100

grew in 5 of the last 9 year-over-year periods

Free-cash-flow consistency100/100

positive in 10 of 10 years

Return on invested capital60/100

17.0% latest fiscal year

A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what UL's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. UL trades near $60.90, around its 50-day average ($58.16) and 200-day average ($64.21). Price tangled in its moving averages means there is no clear trend — the stock is ranging.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 60 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. UL's is $1.03 (~1.7% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month UL found buyers near $55.75 (support) and sellers near $62.56 (resistance); its 52-week range is $54.75–$74.98. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 0.3× the 20-day average — lighter than usual, so the move carries less conviction. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

-0.9%

2/4 checks passedRevenue growingRevenue growth beats sector midpointEPS growingEPS growing faster than revenue

Revenue moved from $56.93B in 2016 to $54.54B in 2025, a -0.5% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year declined 3.8% year over year. Shrinking revenue is worth a closer look — is it cyclical or structural?

Profitability
Research
4/4 checks passedProfitableNet margin above sector midpointROE above 12%ROIC above 10%

Gross Margin

46.9%

Operating Margin

17.9%

Net Margin

18.7%

ROE

56.8%

Unilever PLC keeps about 18.8% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 46.9% gross margin and 17.9% operating margin. Return on equity is 56.8% and return on invested capital about 17.0%. Margins this wide usually signal pricing power or a cost advantage.

Debt Analysis
Research
2/4 checks passedDebt under 1× equityDebt under 2× equityInterest covered 3×+Short-term bills covered

Total Debt

$28.12B

Net Debt

$23.86B

Net Debt / EBITDA

2.45x

Debt / Equity

1.78x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 1.8x, and operating profit covers interest about 7.6x, with a current ratio of 0.8x. That is elevated leverage, which raises risk if earnings or rates move against it. It carries roughly $28.12B of total debt against $4.26B of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research
3/3 checks passedPositive free cash flowFCF yield above 2%Market expects achievable growth (<8%)

Operating CF

$9.02B

Free Cash Flow

$7.49B

FCF Margin

13.7%

In the latest year Unilever PLC produced about $9.02B of operating cash flow and $7.49B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 6.0% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.

Dividend Safety

Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.

BorderlineSafety score: 57/100

The dividend is being paid, but coverage or consistency is thinner than an income investor should rely on without a closer look.

Dividend yield

3.7%

Total paid (latest FY)

$4.81B

History on record

10 years

Free-cash-flow coverage60/100

dividend uses 64% of free cash flow

Earnings payout ratio87/100

47% of net income paid out

Raise streak13/100

total dividends increased 1 year in a row

Cut history100/100

no cuts in the last 10 years on record

Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.

Valuation Analysis
Research
3/4 checks passedPositive earnings (P/E meaningful)P/E below sector's upper bandForward P/E below trailing (earnings growing)Trading below DCF fair value

P/E

12.27x

P/S

2.31x

P/B

7.93x

EV / EBITDA

13.45x

UL trades at 12.3x trailing earnings (about 8.8x on estimated forward earnings), 2.3x sales, and 7.9x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 2.9% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is an undemanding multiple — potentially cheap if the business is stable.

DCF Fair Value (Educational)

A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.

DCF fair value / share

$37.82

Current price

$60.90

-38% · Above fair-value estimate

Starting FCF (latest 10-K)

$7.49B

Growth, years 1–5

-3.8%

Fade to terminal, years 6–10

2.5%

Discount rate

9.0%

PV of 10-yr free cash flow$41.37B
PV of terminal value$41.11B
Estimated equity value$82.48B
Shares outstanding2.18B

Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.

Metrics vs. Sector Range

Where UL sits versus its Consumer Staples sector peers in the S&P 500.

TTM P/E
12.3xCheap
Forward P/E
8.8xCheap
P/S ratio
2.3xFair
Revenue growth
-3.8%Weak
EPS growth
67.5%Strong
Gross margin
46.9%Average
Net margin
18.8%Strong
ROE
56.8%Strong

Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 48 Consumer Staples companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How UL stacks up against its Consumer Staples peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Consumer Staples sector (74 S&P 500 companies), UL ranks #10 of 74 by our overall rating. It trades at a discount versus the sector on earnings (12.3x P/E vs. 22.2x median) with a higher return on equity (56.8% vs. 18.1%) and slower revenue growth (-3.8% vs. 3.4%).

P/E vs sector

12.3x

median 22.2x

ROE vs sector

56.8%

median 18.1%

Growth vs sector

-3.8%

median 3.4%

Sector rank

#10

of 74 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
ULThis stock12.3x-3.8%Favorable· 60
SONY5.2%Weak· 28
SN30.7x15.9%Favorable· 69
SGI28.7x43.5%Favorable· 60
TOL11.3x3.6%Neutral· 56
CENTNot rated
CENTANot rated
CVCONot rated
Consumer Staples median22.2x3.4%38/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianSNSGITOLULP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Consumer Staples companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 74 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$0.00 $0.00

vs. $60.90 today · expected CAGR -8%3%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$56.18B$57.86B$59.60B$61.39B$63.23B
Net income$10.67B$10.99B$11.32B$11.66B$12.01B
EPS$5.14$5.30$5.46$5.62$5.79
Share price (low)$36.00$37.08$38.19$39.34$40.52
Share price (high)$61.71$63.57$65.47$67.44$69.46
CAGR (low–high)-41% / 1%-22% / 2%-14% / 2%-10% / 3%-8% / 3%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for UL:

  • High net margins (18.8%) point to pricing power or efficiency.
  • Strong return on equity (56.8%) shows capital is put to work well.
  • Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~6.0%) funds buybacks and dividends.
  • Pays a 3.7% dividend on top of any price gains.
  • Our model's overall read is Favorable (60/100).
Bear Case

The case against UL:

  • Revenue growth is slow/negative (-3.8%), limiting the upside engine.
  • Elevated leverage (debt/equity 1.8x) adds financial risk.
Key Risks
Research

Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 1.8x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.

Growth risk — sluggish revenue (-3.8%) leaves little margin for execution missteps.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the fundamentals screen favourably: Unilever PLC is a large-cap consumer staples business with shrinking revenue, with solid profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 12.3x earnings, which our model scores Favorable (60/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

Analyst Ratings

What 22 Wall Street analysts covering UL recommend (July 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.

Hold
consensus · score 3.6 / 5 across 22 analysts
Strong Buy 4Buy 8Hold 8Sell 1Strong Sell 1

Analysts have turned more positive over the last three months (+5 pts of buy ratings).

Latest SEC Filings

UL's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.

In the Idea Lab

UL — frequently asked questions

Is UL a good stock to buy?

We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Unilever PLC Favorable (60/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.

What is UL's rating on The Stocks School?

Unilever PLC currently scores 60/100 (Favorable) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.

How our ratings work
Where does UL's data come from?

Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Unilever PLC's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.

How is the 5-year projection for UL calculated?

It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.

Is this UL analysis financial advice?

No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell UL. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.