Unilever PLC $UL Stock Position Reduced by Beacon Bank & Trust

Beacon Bank & Trust trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 20.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,959 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,477 shares during the period. Beacon Bank & Trust’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,661,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,501,000 after buying an additional 937,346 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Unilever by 13.6% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,722,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,690,000 after purchasing an additional 282,076 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 674.2% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,794,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,208,000 after buying an additional 2,433,625 shares during the period. Finally, Equity Investment Corp grew its stake in Unilever by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,996,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,057,000 after acquiring an additional 46,801 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UL shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. TD Cowen cut their target price 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $68.37.

Unilever Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE:UL opened at $63.95 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $63.29 and a 200-day moving average of $62.62. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.75 and a 52 week high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.84 by ($1.25). The firm had revenue of $14.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.80 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Unilever PLC will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Unilever

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company headquartered in London, England. It develops, markets and sells branded products used in households and personal care, with operations serving consumers across developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company’s portfolio includes beauty and wellbeing products, personal care items, home care products, and foods and refreshments. Its brands include Dove, Vaseline, Axe, TRESemmé, Cif, OMO, Persil, Knorr, Hellmann’s and Ben & Jerry’s, although product offerings vary by market.

Unilever was formed in 1929 through the merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie.