Fortinet vs Unilever: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Fortinet reported $6.8B of revenue in FY2025 and $1.9B of net income. Unilever reported ~$57.1B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$10.7B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Fortinet
Fortinet grew revenue from $1.28 billion in 2016 to $6.80 billion in 2025, while GAAP net income rose from $32 million to $1.85 billion. After the 2021-2022 surge, product sales slowed in 2023-2024 as customers digested firewall inventory, and revenue growth fell to 12% in 2024. Growth recovered to 14% in 2025, when free cash flow hit a record of roughly $2.21 billion and the buyback authorization was expanded by $1 billion. 2026 has been stronger again: Q1 billings grew 31% and Q2 billings grew 33% to $2.37 billion, Q2 GAAP EPS rose 44% to $0.82, and Q2 free cash flow was $966 million. On July 29, 2026 the company raised 2026 guidance to revenue of $8.02-$8.18 billion (about 19% growth at the midpoint) and billings of $9.35-$9.55 billion.
Unilever
Unilever's 2025 turnover from continuing operations was ~$57.1 billion (EUR 50.5 billion), down 3.8% in reported terms because of adverse currency moves and disposals, even as underlying sales grew 3.5% with 1.5% from volume. Free cash flow was ~$6.67 billion (EUR 5.9 billion), about $757 million (EUR 670 million) of productivity savings had been delivered by the end of 2025, and the company announced a new ~$1.69 billion (EUR 1.5 billion) share buyback. Momentum improved in 2026: first-half turnover was ~$28.9 billion (EUR 25.6 billion) (up 0.5%), underlying sales grew 4.8% with 4.2% volume, Q2 underlying growth reached 5.8%, and the underlying operating margin was 20.3%. Unilever raised its full-year outlook after the H1 2026 results.
Revenue and profit by year
Fortinet
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $6.8B | $1.9B | 27.3% | +14.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | $6B | $1.7B | 29.3% | +12.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | $5.3B | $1.1B | 21.6% | +20.1% | Source |
| FY2022 | $4.4B | $857.3M | 19.4% | +32.2% | Source |
| FY2021 | $3.3B | $606.8M | 18.2% | +28.8% | Source |
| FY2020 | $2.6B | $488.5M | 18.8% | +19.9% | Source |
| FY2019 | $2.2B | $331.7M | 15.3% | +19.9% | Source |
| FY2018 | $1.8B | $334.9M | 18.6% | +20.7% | Source |
| FY2017 | $1.5B | $31.4M | 2.1% | +17.2% | Source |
| FY2016 | $1.3B | $32.2M | 2.5% | — | Source |
Unilever
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$57.1B | ~$10.7B | 18.7% | -3.8% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$59.3B | ~$6.5B | 10.9% | +1.5% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$58.4B | ~$7.3B | 12.6% | -14.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$67.9B | ~$8.6B | 12.7% | +14.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$59.3B | ~$6.8B | 11.5% | +3.4% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$57.3B | ~$6.3B | 11.0% | -2.4% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$58.7B | ~$6.4B | 10.8% | +2.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$57.6B | ~$10.6B | 18.4% | -5.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | ~$60.7B | ~$6.8B | 11.2% | +1.9% | Source |
| FY2016 | ~$59.6B | ~$5.9B | 9.8% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Fortinet
- Service Revenue67%
FortiGuard subscriptions, technical support, SASE, SecOps, SaaS, and other services generated $4.5812B in FY2025 revenue.
- Product Revenue33%
FortiGate appliances, secure networking hardware, and software licenses generated $2.2184B in FY2025 revenue.
Unilever
- Power Brands
78% of 2025 turnover
Dove, Vaseline, Rexona, Sunsilk, OMO, Knorr and the other Power Brands made up 78% of turnover in 2025.
- Beauty & Wellbeing
Not formally reported
One of four business groups reported after the 2025 Ice Cream demerger; it includes prestige beauty and wellbeing supplements.
- Personal Care
Not formally reported
One of the four business groups reported after the 2025 Ice Cream demerger.
- Home Care
Not formally reported
One of the four business groups reported after the 2025 Ice Cream demerger.
- Foods
Not formally reported
Largely to be combined with McCormick in a pending transaction; it includes Unilever Food Solutions for foodservice.
Business model and strategy
Fortinet
How it makes money
Fortinet makes money in two ways. First, it sells products: FortiGate firewalls (physical appliances and virtual/cloud versions), plus switches, Wi-Fi access points and other secure-networking hardware and software licenses. Product revenue was $2.22 billion, or 33% of FY2025 sales.
Growth strategy
Fortinet is trying to grow beyond the firewall into three adjacent markets. Unified SASE combines FortiGate SD-WAN with cloud-delivered secure web gateway, ZTNA and firewall-as-a-service for remote users. Security operations (FortiSIEM, FortiSOAR, FortiAnalyzer, FortiEDR) targets the SOC. OT security sells ruggedized FortiGates and related tools to factories, utilities and transport operators.
Competitive advantage
Fortinet's main edge is custom silicon. It designs its own security processors (network processors such as NP7 and content processors such as CP9) that offload packet inspection, encryption and threat matching from general-purpose CPUs. That lets FortiGate deliver high throughput at a lower price and power draw than many rivals.
Unilever
How it makes money
Unilever makes money by manufacturing and selling branded, repeat-purchase consumer products through supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, small independent shops and e-commerce. After the 2025 Ice Cream demerger it reports four business groups: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and Foods. Its Power Brands, such as Dove, Vaseline, Rexona, Sunsilk, OMO and Knorr, made up 78% of turnover in 2025.
Growth strategy
Under Fernando Fernandez, Unilever is concentrating investment behind about 30 Power Brands, increasing marketing spend through social and influencer channels, rotating the portfolio toward premium beauty and wellbeing (2025 deals included Dr. Squatch, Wild and Minimalist), and separating lower-growth food and ice cream assets.
Competitive advantage
Unilever's advantage is a mix of trusted brands, emerging-market distribution, local manufacturing, repeat-purchase categories, Power Brand marketing scale, and deep category knowledge in personal care, home care, beauty, and foods.
Questions about Fortinet vs Unilever
Which company has higher revenue — Fortinet, Inc. or Unilever PLC?
Fortinet, Inc. reported $6.8B (FY2025), while Unilever PLC reported ~$57.1B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Unilever PLC is the larger business, with Fortinet, Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Fortinet, Inc. vs Unilever PLC?
Fortinet, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $127.3B, while Unilever PLC's is $132.5B. Unilever PLC carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Fortinet, Inc..
Which is more financially efficient — Fortinet, Inc. or Unilever PLC?
Fortinet, Inc. generates $450k / employee in revenue per employee, while Unilever PLC generates $594k / employee. Unilever PLC shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Fortinet, Inc. and Unilever PLC make money?
Fortinet, Inc. and Unilever PLC generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Fortinet, Inc.: Fortinet makes money in two ways. Unilever PLC: Unilever makes money by manufacturing and selling branded, repeat-purchase consumer products through supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, small independent shops and e-commerce.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Fortinet, Inc. or Unilever PLC?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Fortinet, Inc. trades at 18.7x P/S and Unilever PLC at 2.3x P/S. Fortinet, Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Unilever PLC. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Fortinet, Inc. bigger than Unilever PLC?
By last reported revenue, Unilever PLC (~$57.1B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Fortinet, Inc. ($6.8B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Fortinet vs Unilever overview