Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Short Interest Down 54.0% in January

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) saw a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,380,000 shares, a decline of 54.0% from the January 15th total of 3,000,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,400,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $176,806,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 140.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 981.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,868,000 after buying an additional 1,884,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL traded down $3.13 on Thursday, reaching $56.01. 9,916,081 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,640,209. Unilever has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.28 and a 200-day moving average of $60.38.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UL. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through five segments: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. The Beauty & Wellbeing segment engages in the sale of hair care products, such as shampoo, conditioner, and styling; skin care products including face, hand, and body moisturizer; and prestige beauty and health & wellbeing products consist of the vitamins, minerals, and supplements.