Oakmark International Fund Picked Unilever PLC (UL) Despite Mixed Growth Drivers

Oakmark Funds, advised by Harris Associates, released its “Oakmark International Fund” fourth-quarter 2025 investor letter. It is a diversified fund that focuses on long-term capital appreciation by investing in common stocks of non-U.S. companies, generally in the mid and large-cap spectrum. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the fourth quarter, the fund (Investor Class) delivered a return of 4.83%, outperforming the benchmark, the MSCI World ex USA Index’s 5.20% gain. Healthcare and financials were the top performance contributors at the sector level, while the consumer staples was the only detractor. In addition, you can check the Fund’s top five holdings to determine its best picks for 2025.

In its fourth-quarter 2025 investor letter, Oakmark International Fund highlighted stocks such as Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL). Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is a multinational consumer goods company that operates through Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream segments. On January 14, 2026, Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) stock closed at $65.33 per share. One-month return of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) was -0.20%, and its shares gained 10.00% of their value over the last 52 weeks. Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has a market capitalization of $142.546 billion.

Oakmark International Fund stated the following regarding Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in its fourth quarter 2025 investor letter:

"Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is a global consumer goods company that develops and markets everyday food and personal care brands for billions of consumers worldwide. Anchored by iconic brands such as Dove, Knorr, Hellmann’s and Vaseline, Unilever’s refreshed management team is driving improved execution and strategic discipline to deliver more consistent growth, with a focus on higher-margin categories. Specifically, we appreciate their undertaking of various self-help initiatives, including cost-savings programs and brand divestments, which we believe will help unlock sustained value in the future. Despite Unilever's strong outlook, it trades at a discount to its peer group as prior undermanagement has resulted in 1% volume growth for the past decade. This provided us the opportunity to invest in a strong company with leading brands and an improved management team that is poised to increase per-share value."

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 27 hedge fund portfolios held Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) at the end of the third quarter, the same as in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

In another article, we covered Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) and shared the list of best beauty stocks to buy. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q4 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.