Home Compare ESSITY-B.ST vs ULVR.L
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Household & Personal Products

Essity AB (publ) vs Unilever: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Unilever leads structurally, with profitability as the clearest single gap between the two profiles. Essity AB (publ) still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is currently leaning toward Essity AB (publ), which does not confirm the structural lead. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Unilever, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the STOXX 600 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

The comparison is mainly decided in profitability, with the rest of the profile carrying less weight.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Household & Personal Products

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. ESSITY-B.ST and ULVR.L share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Essity AB (publ) and Unilever each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
ESSITY-B.ST
Essity AB (publ)
57
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600
vs
ULVR.L
Unilever PLC
63
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The clearest separation appears in profitability.

Dimension spread: ESSITY-B.ST vs ULVR.L Profitability 33 71 Stability 73 68 Valuation 77 59 Growth 47 52 ESSITY-B.ST ULVR.L
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +38
#2 Valuation +18
#3 Growth +5
#4 Stability +5
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ESSITY-B.ST and ULVR.L Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ESSITY-B.STULVR.L Relative valuation Structural strength

The price setup looks more supportive for Unilever PLC, but Essity AB (publ) still has the stronger structure.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Unilever PLC ranks near the top of the group on profitability; Essity AB (publ) sits in the weaker half.
Valuation
On valuation, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but Essity AB (publ) still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
ESSITY-B.ST
33
ULVR.L
71
Gap+38in favour of ULVR.L

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 7.7-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Essity AB (publ), with a trailing P/E that is 5.1 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability points more clearly to Unilever PLC, but valuation and current pricing keep the broader result mixed.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the ESSITY-B.ST vs ULVR.L comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how ESSITY-B.ST and ULVR.L each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.