Unilever PLC $UL Shares Purchased by Equity Investment Corp

Equity Investment Corp raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,012,258 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,306 shares during the quarter. Unilever comprises 1.7% of Equity Investment Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Equity Investment Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $122,204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 16.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,661,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,501,000 after buying an additional 937,346 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Unilever by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,403,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $193,915,000 after buying an additional 406,610 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 674.2% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,794,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,208,000 after buying an additional 2,433,625 shares during the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,722,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,690,000 after buying an additional 282,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,472,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,732,000 after acquiring an additional 34,158 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Unilever from $76.00 to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $68.37.

Unilever Price Performance

UL stock opened at $66.45 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.68. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.75 and a 1-year high of $74.97.

About Unilever

Unilever plc is a global consumer goods company that develops and sells products across beauty and wellbeing, personal care, home care and food. Its brands include Dove, Vaseline, Knorr, Hellmann’s and Persil, with offerings ranging from skincare and haircare to household cleaning products, condiments and packaged foods. The company traces its origins to the 1929 merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie. Unilever serves consumers in markets around the world through retail and other distribution channels.