Shares in consumer goods giant Unilever slid by 4% this week after it lowered its sales growth targets for the three months to the end of September.
Revenue growth would now be 3%-3.5%, it said, rather than 4.5%-5%. It blamed "significant currency weakness" in emerging markets.
What the commentators said
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
-
European stocks are back in business – can it last?European stocks enjoy a strong start to the year, but the rally is proving uneven as France struggles to keep up
-
8 of the best properties for sale with communal gardensThe best properties for sale with access to communal gardens – from an apartment in a listed building opposite London’s Hyde Park, to a wing of a mansion with access to 180 acres of parkland in Henley-upon-Thames
-
Inflation is hurting Unilever, but investors shouldn’t give up just yetAnalysis Consumer goods group Unilever has been underperforming as inflation bites. It's made errors in the past, says Rupert Hargreaves, but with valuable brands and a global reach, it still has plenty going for it.
-
Why GSK should turn down Unilever’s billionsNews Unilever has offered GSK £50bn for its consumer division. But while the cash will be a temptation, the deal is not in the interests of shareholders or of anyone else, says Matthew Lynn.
-
Unilever slides and GSK bounces after GSK knocks back £50bn bidNews Unilever shares fell to their lowest level in around five years, after its £50bn takeover bid for GSK’s consumer health unit was rejected.
-
Unilever puts the U in U-turnFeatures The Anglo-Dutch consumer-products giant irritated shareholders with plans to redomicile in Rotterdam. Now it has beaten a retreat. Marina Gerner reports.
-
Unilever and the erosion of shareholder democracyFeatures The way Unilever went about planning the vote on moving its head office out of the UK wasn’t normal and it wasn’t right, says Merry Somerset Webb.
-
Unilever leaves BritainFeatures Consumer-goods giant Unilever has chosen Rotterdam over London for its unified headquarters. Takeover threats and taxes played a part. Alice Gråhns reports.
-
Unilever should snub the “crazy cost-cutters”Features Unilever could soon dispose of some of its best-known brands in a bid to appease shareholders. But should it listen to them?
-
Unilever sees off KraftFeatures US food giant Kraft, which swallowed up Britain’s Cadbury in 2010, has failed – for now – to do the same to Unilever. Ben Judge reports.
