Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Sells 14,104 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 17.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 65,087 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,104 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,876,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. May Hill Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $296,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 33.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 934,804 shares of the company's stock worth $55,668,000 after buying an additional 232,945 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 69.7% during the 1st quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 5,867 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co raised its position in Unilever by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 11,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its position in Unilever by 56.7% in the 1st quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 13,958 shares of the company's stock valued at $832,000 after purchasing an additional 5,051 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.50.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $59.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $61.90 and a 200-day moving average of $60.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.41. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87.

About Unilever

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through five segments: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. The Beauty & Wellbeing segment engages in the sale of hair care products, such as shampoo, conditioner, and styling; skin care products including face, hand, and body moisturizer; and prestige beauty and health & wellbeing products consist of the vitamins, minerals, and supplements.

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