Unilever is betting that shedding food assets and focusing on beauty, personal care and home products will close a valuation gap with more focused rivals. The challenge is convincing investors that a simpler company can deliver higher returns.
The maker of Dove soap, Axe deodorant and Cif cleaning products trades at 11.5 times enterprise value to core earnings, according to LSEG data. That compares with 14.8 for Procter & Gamble,
