Unilever PLC $UL Holdings Raised by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,608,297 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 339,997 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Unilever were worth $170,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 40,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,376,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Invested Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Invested Advisors now owns 3,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Bridge Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.2% during the third quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors now owns 17,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Argus raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Unilever from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $57.31 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $59.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.98. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.95 and a 1 year high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.