HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 411,199 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,179 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $26,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 57.2% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 55,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,604,000 after buying an additional 20,054 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 286.8% in the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 35,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,327,000 after buying an additional 26,380 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. May Hill Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 70.3% in the fourth quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 19,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,270,000 after buying an additional 8,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Unilever by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,608,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,586,000 after buying an additional 339,997 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Unilever from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Price Performance

UL opened at $57.33 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.95 and a 52 week high of $74.97. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $58.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.52.

About Unilever

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.