UBS Group AG Increases Position in Unilever PLC $UL

UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 14.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 990,796 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 125,664 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Unilever were worth $64,798,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Unilever by 9.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,054,973,000 after acquiring an additional 2,935,227 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Unilever by 13,906.2% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,268,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,465,000 after acquiring an additional 2,252,105 shares during the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the third quarter worth about $82,461,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 4.4% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 22,537,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,048,000 after acquiring an additional 959,269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 78.8% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,933,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,261,000 after acquiring an additional 852,099 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE:UL opened at $58.68 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.95 and a one year high of $74.97. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.65.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Unilever PLC will post 3.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.5449 dividend. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Argus upgraded Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever 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.