Sanctuary Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its Unilever stake by 46.7% in the first quarter, buying 54,206 additional shares and bringing its total to 170,240 shares worth about $9.7 million.
• Other institutional investors also added to their positions, and hedge funds and other institutions now own 9.67% of Unilever’s stock.
• Unilever shares were down 0.6% to $62.35, while analysts currently have a Hold consensus rating and an average target price of $65.55.

Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 46.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 170,240 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 54,206 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $9,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 4.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company's stock worth $2,085,000 after buying an additional 1,587 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in Unilever by 39.7% during the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 15,848 shares of the company's stock worth $969,000 after buying an additional 4,501 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in Unilever by 70.5% during 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 period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position 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 during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 0.6%

UL opened at $62.35 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $58.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.45. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.75 and a 52-week high of $74.97.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, July 6th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research lowered Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Unilever from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.

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