Short Interest in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Expands By 106.6%

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,240,641 shares, an increase of 106.6% from the July 15th total of 1,084,384 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 5,600,546 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days.

Unilever Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Unilever stock traded down $0.56 on Friday, hitting $62.12. 2,007,881 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,659,800. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.20. Unilever has a 1 year low of $54.75 and a 1 year high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($0.92). The firm had revenue of $14.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.80 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Unilever will post 3.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unilever from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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, three have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 160.8% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 82,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,375,000 after buying an additional 50,682 shares in the last quarter. Saturna Capital Corp grew its stake in Unilever by 38.0% in the 1st quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 794,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,252,000 after acquiring an additional 218,767 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 77.6% in the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,226,000 after acquiring an additional 17,093 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased 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 worth $379,501,000 after acquiring an additional 937,346 shares during the period. Finally, Managed Asset Portfolios LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Managed Asset Portfolios LLC now owns 299,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,604,000 after acquiring an additional 33,324 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

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.