Liberty One Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Liberty One Investment Management increased its Unilever stake by 28.8% in the first quarter, adding 20,260 shares to bring its total holdings to 90,571 shares worth about $5.16 million.
• Other institutional investors also raised their positions in Unilever, including Qube Research & Technologies and Sei Investments, while institutional ownership overall stands at 9.67% of the company’s stock.
• Analysts are mixed on UL: the stock has a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $65.55, and the shares were trading down 2.7% at $60.19.

Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 28.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 90,571 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 20,260 shares during the quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $5,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company's stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 4.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company's stock worth $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 1,587 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its holdings in Unilever by 39.7% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 15,848 shares of the company's stock valued at $969,000 after buying an additional 4,501 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in Unilever by 70.5% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 378,313 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,141,000 after buying an additional 156,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Unilever by 17.4% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 427,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,155,000 after buying an additional 63,376 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on UL shares. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Unilever from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Two equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.55.

Unilever Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $60.19 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $59.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.31. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.75 and a fifty-two week high of $74.97.

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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