London, Feb 24, 2026, 07:49 GMT — Premarket
- Unilever shares were indicated flat at 5,462p ahead of the London open after rising 1.5% on Monday
- The stock goes ex-dividend this week, a key timing point for income-focused investors
- Traders are also watching Unilever’s planned buyback and the next scheduled trading update
Unilever PLC (ULVR.L) shares were indicated little changed at 5,462 pence ahead of Tuesday’s London open, after ending Monday up 1.5%. The stock is within a whisker of its 52-week high, while the FTSE 100 finished the prior session virtually flat. (Share Prices)
The dividend calendar is doing some of the talking now. “Ex-dividend” is when a stock starts trading without the right to receive the next payout, and it can pull in short-term flows.
Unilever’s quarterly interim dividend for the fourth quarter of 2025 is 40.52 pence per London-listed share, the company said. It set Feb. 26 as the ex-dividend date for ordinary shares, with payment due on April 10, and flagged a new share buyback of up to 1.5 billion euros expected to start in the second quarter; its next trading statement is scheduled for April 30. (Unilever)
That mix can get messy for the tape. Some investors buy for the dividend and leave; others try to trade the drop and the rebound. It rarely runs to plan.
The longer-running argument is about growth, not the payout. Earlier this month, Unilever warned 2026 underlying sales growth would land at the lower end of its 4% to 6% multi-year range as markets in the United States and Europe slowed; underlying sales growth strips out currency swings and the impact of acquisitions and disposals. “There are signs of progress at Unilever… however we think it will take time,” RBC Capital Markets analyst James Edwardes Jones wrote, while Quilter Cheviot’s Chris Beckett pointed to “cost of living pressures” still weighing on consumers in developed markets. (Reuters)
Management has also been pushing a technology-led efficiency pitch. In a separate announcement last week, Unilever said it struck a five-year partnership with Google Cloud to build what it called an “AI-first” data and marketing backbone; “technology has moved to the core of value creation,” Chief Supply Chain and Operations Officer Willem Uijen said. (Unilever)
But the stock is priced for steady execution. If volumes soften further in North America or Europe, or if pricing power fades faster than expected, the market’s patience with the “better, simpler” story can run thin.
For Tuesday’s session, traders will watch whether ULVR can stay bid near its recent highs once real cash trading starts, and whether positioning shifts ahead of the ex-dividend date.
