Saturna Capital Corp Has $45.25 Million Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

Saturna Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 38.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 794,310 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 218,767 shares during the period. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $45,252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 0.8% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 406,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,168,000 after purchasing an additional 3,240 shares during the period. DJE Kapital AG acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,469,000. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 73.0% in the 1st quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 17,587 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 7,421 shares during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 132,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,529,000 after purchasing an additional 2,039 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 60,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,472,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Down 1.9%

Unilever stock opened at $60.80 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.75 and a 1-year high of $74.97. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.