Unilever
Power Brands
Unilever is listed on the London FTSE 100 stock exchange under the ticker (ULVR).
Over 120 years ago the group started out with the Sunlight Soap Brand created by the founder in 1883.
Today the group is a global multinational business that boasts some of the Worlds most recognisable brands.
Unilever also prides itself to have a driven sustainable focus, so it can be seen as a great modern day manufacturer and supplier of quality household brands & personal care products, whilst also caring for the planet.
The group has three main business segments:
- Food
- Health Care
- Cleaning
Here are some of the groups most recognisable food brands we know & love: Marmite, Knorr, Bovril, Hellmans, Colemans, Pot Noodles, Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream, Magnums, Cornetto, Carte Dor, Walls & Vienetta.
Here are some of the groups most recognisable Health care brands we know & use: Alberto Balsam, VO5, TRESemme, Tony & Guy, Vaseline, St Ives, Ponds, Lifebuoy, Simple, Impulse, Sure, Radox, Brylcreem, Lynx, Brut.
Here are some of the groups most recognisable cleaning brands we know & rely upon: Domestos, Cif, Persil, Surf, Comfort.
A quick link to the Groups Brands page can be found by clicking here.
With size comes an impressive €59,604.00 (31/12/2023) Billion turnover and brand power to match. 81% of their brands are in the top two categories in their respective markets. 13 of these brands generate over €1 billion each, every year.
High quality brands create reoccurring revenue streams which in turn generates profits and steady dividends.
With inflation headwinds on the horizon for all consumer focused companies, having a strong portfolio of brands and loyal customers returning time again and time again, will allow quality businesses like Unilever a chance of gradually increasing prices over time.
Having the ability to increase prices helps protect both top & bottom margins, which is an investing theme I like.
The ULVR holding is a core contributor to the portfolios regular income so I also view it as a foundational stock, as I continue to seek out great dividend growth stocks to hold for the long haul.
Unilever average five year share price
The average share price over the group over the past five years (08/2019 to 08/2024) sits between:
At the lowest point the share price went to a low of £32.67 on the 08th March 2022.
To the highest level of £53.30 on the 3rd September 2022.
Based on my own personal experience looking at a long term hold, I would be looking to purchase additional shares between £33.95 to £38.95 price targets.
The ideal exit strategy is to hold for a 10-15 year period with a targeted sell range between £53.00 to £58.50
Unilever Dividend
Unilever distributes a quarterly dividend usually in the months of March, June, Sept & December of each year.
The most recent quarterly dividend was for Q2 2025, which has been increased to £0.3916p per share, this was paid on the 12/09/25.
Favourable exchanged rates between the Great British Pound verses the Euro has slightly helped to increase year over year income, compared to the same period in 2024 (£0.3696p)
For research purposes we have listed below the last eleven years of annual dividends:
2024 £1.4808 (€1.71)
2023 £1.4872 (€1.7072)
2022 £1.4757 (€1.7072)
2021 £1.4603 (€1.7072)
2020 £1.4818 (During 2020 dividends were distributed in both Euro’s & Pounds – until a company structure change)
2019 £1.4276
2018 £1.3530
2017 £1.2558
2016 £1.0903
2015 £0.8849
2014 £0.9020
PE Ratio: 22.03 (05/12/25)
Dividend yield: 3.32% (05/12/25)
Dividend cover: 1.62 (31/12/24)
Since adding this equity to the portfolio in early 2020, we have continued to add from a low base, gradually increasing the holdings from 108 to 300 shares as this is a great defensive stock.
In the final quarter of 2023 we increased the holdings to 300 shares which will remain at this level as we do not want to be too heavily weighted in any particular stock.
Total income generated from holding the shares for 6+ years or 24 quarterly payments is £1,914.89.
Further dividend income analysis can be viewed in the file below: (If you are unable to see the file, please ensure that your browser is up to date).
ULVR
Alternative competitors
Household and Personal Care products are known as FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) items and this sector is extremely competitive. Businesses that operate within this sector are often viewed as defensive plays within the investing world. Companies operating in this sector usually have some exceptional brands under their portfolio of products and Unilever is just one of the World Class businesses, however there are some rivals you may wish to compare as strong alternative investments.
Larger businesses operating within this sector and in no particular order are: Proctor & Gamble (PG), Henkel (Hen) and Reckitt & Benckiser (RKT).
Smaller businesses within this sector and once agin in no particular order are: PZ Cussons (PZC), Mc Bride (MCB), KAO (KAOOY).
Our worthequities website aims to provide additional knowledge when researching stocks in specific sectors as it is extremely risky investing in individual stocks, unless we opt for investing in either funds or tracker funds, so it is always great to explore and compare companies in their retrospective categories especially when looking at the fundamentals.
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