HF Advisory Group LLC Purchases 356,918 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• HF Advisory Group boosted its Unilever stake by 1,135.3% in Q4, buying an additional 356,918 shares to hold 388,355 shares worth about $25.4 million, making Unilever ~1.0% of the firm's assets and its 17th largest holding.
• Unilever agreed a cash-and-stock combination to sell/merge its Foods business with McCormick (valued around $44.8 billion), a transformational but complex deal that has drawn analyst skepticism, a legal probe and could cause dilution or execution risk while management refocuses on health & beauty.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" with a $65.55 target (ratings split: 1 Strong Buy, 2 Buy, 5 Hold, 3 Sell); shares recently missed quarterly EPS and trade near the mid-$50s while the stock yields about 4.0%.

HF Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 1,135.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 388,355 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 356,918 shares during the quarter. Unilever accounts for about 1.0% of HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $25,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 108.8% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 476 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. UBS Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. DZ Bank cut shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price objective on Unilever and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Argus upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $56.02 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.95 and a 52-week high of $74.97. The company's 50 day moving average price is $67.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.14.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.39 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.5547 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th.

Key Stories Impacting Unilever

Here are the key news stories impacting Unilever this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Institutional backing — Artisan Partners publicly supports Unilever’s plan to sell/merge its food unit, which reduces a major investor hurdle and helps validate management’s strategic direction. Artisan Partners backs Unilever's plan
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic refocus — CEO Fernando Fernandez is steering Unilever back toward health & beauty, an area where he has past success; that refocus supports a higher‑margin, consumer‑brand centric strategy once the Foods unit is separated. Unilever CEO returns to his roots
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal execution and structure — Unilever and McCormick confirmed a cash‑and‑stock combination valuing Unilever’s Foods business (~$44.8B) that creates a large global flavor/foods company. The transaction is transformational but complex; outcomes depend on approvals, integration, and equity dilution. Unilever and McCormick agree food business deal
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst skepticism and market reaction — Several analysts called the deal’s value and structure “not compelling,” and markets reacted negatively as investors questioned value creation and dilution risk. That skepticism is pressuring UL shares. Analysts split on Unilever-McCormick deal
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk — A law firm launched an investigation into the proposed McCormick merger, which could signal potential litigation or procedural challenges that might delay or complicate closing. Investor alert investigates merger
• Negative Sentiment: Operational caution — Unilever has instituted a global hiring freeze for at least three months, highlighting near‑term headwinds (geopolitical and inflationary pressures) and signaling management is tightening costs — supportive for margins long term but negative for near‑term growth expectations. Unilever starts global hiring freeze

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.

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