Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) Interim Results Just Came Out: Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting For This Year

Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) came out with its half-yearly results last week, and we wanted to see how the business is performing and what industry forecasters think of the company following this report. Unilever reported in line with analyst predictions, delivering revenues of €30b and statutory earnings per share of €2.29, suggesting the business is executing well and in line with its plan. Following the result, the analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.

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Following last week's earnings report, Unilever's 21 analysts are forecasting 2025 revenues to be €59.6b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to shoot up 21% to €2.69. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of €59.7b and earnings per share (EPS) of €2.67 in 2025. So it's pretty clear that, although the analysts have updated their estimates, there's been no major change in expectations for the business following the latest results.

View our latest analysis for Unilever

There were no changes to revenue or earnings estimates or the price target of UK£50.29, suggesting that the company has met expectations in its recent result. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. The most optimistic Unilever analyst has a price target of UK£59.61 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at UK£38.39. These price targets show that analysts do have some differing views on the business, but the estimates do not vary enough to suggest to us that some are betting on wild success or utter failure.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Unilever's past performance and to peers in the same industry. We would highlight that revenue is expected to reverse, with a forecast 0.7% annualised decline to the end of 2025. That is a notable change from historical growth of 4.3% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 2.9% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Unilever is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most obvious conclusion is that there's been no major change in the business' prospects in recent times, with the analysts holding their earnings forecasts steady, in line with previous estimates. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at UK£50.29, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have forecasts for Unilever going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Unilever that you need to be mindful of.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.