Unilever PLC $UL Shares Purchased by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 11.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 92,064 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,282 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $5,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 16.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,661,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,501,000 after acquiring an additional 937,346 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $268,704,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,616,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,526,000 after acquiring an additional 323,393 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Unilever by 13.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,403,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,915,000 after purchasing an additional 406,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Unilever by 44.3% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,067,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,625,000 after purchasing an additional 942,286 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unilever from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $65.12 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.78. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.75 and a 1-year high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($1.25). The company had revenue of $14.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.80 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.52 EPS for the current year.

Unilever Company 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.