Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE cut its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 50.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,703 shares of the company’s stock after selling 57,183 shares during the quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,247,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,950,000 after acquiring an additional 37,630 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 160.8% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 82,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,375,000 after purchasing an additional 50,682 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 9.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,054,973,000 after buying an additional 2,935,227 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 78,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,127,000 after purchasing an additional 21,313 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $5,003,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $60.90 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.72. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.75 and a one year high of $74.97.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on UL. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, May 18th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

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.