Equity Investment Corp Cuts Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Equity Investment Corp lessened its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 10.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,843,234 shares of the company’s stock after selling 223,685 shares during the quarter. Unilever comprises approximately 2.4% of Equity Investment Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Equity Investment Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $120,547,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 1,587 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its holdings in Unilever by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 15,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $969,000 after acquiring an additional 4,501 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in Unilever by 70.5% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 378,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,141,000 after acquiring an additional 156,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Unilever by 17.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 427,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,155,000 after acquiring an additional 63,376 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $58.36 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $57.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.40. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $54.75 and a twelve month high of $74.97.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, May 18th. Kepler Capital Markets lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Argus raised shares of Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.