Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Factory Mutual Insurance Co.

Key Points

• Factory Mutual Insurance Co. cut its Unilever stake by 34.7%, selling 243,214 shares in Q4 and leaving it with 457,195 shares valued at about $29.9 million.
• Unilever missed quarterly expectations — reporting $0.75 EPS versus a $1.75 consensus and revenue well below estimates — and its shares trade around $58.35, under the 50‑ and 200‑day averages and nearer the 12‑month low than the high.
• Strategically, Unilever is expanding in wellness with the acquisition of supplements brand Grüns, while analyst reaction is mixed (DZ Bank upgraded to strong‑buy but several firms cut ratings), leaving a MarketBeat consensus of “Hold” and an average target of $65.55.

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. lowered its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 34.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 457,195 shares of the company's stock after selling 243,214 shares during the quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $29,901,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 4.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 1,587 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted 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 purchasing an additional 4,501 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 25.9% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 134,788 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,245,000 after purchasing an additional 27,765 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted 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 purchasing an additional 156,404 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $58.35 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $66.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.55. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $54.95 and a twelve month high of $74.97.

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

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.5547 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th.

More Unilever News

Here are the key news stories impacting Unilever this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unilever agreed to buy U.S. supplements brand Grüns, signaling a clear push into beauty/wellbeing categories and building its nutrition/wellness footprint — a strategic fit for UL’s transition away from mainstream foods. Unilever to buy supplements brand Grüns With A $1.2 Billion Sale To Unilever
• Positive Sentiment: DZ Bank upgraded UL from "hold" to "strong-buy", which can support the stock by validating management’s strategy and attracting buyers. DZ Bank upgrade / TickerReport
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis arguing the market is undervaluing Unilever’s shift to a higher‑quality HPC business suggests upside if the transition executes — a bullish narrative for longer‑term holders. Unilever: Market Undervaluing Its Transition
• Neutral Sentiment: Management continues to discuss a strategic separation of the foods business as part of the pivot to HPC — a transformational move that creates clarity but also execution risk and transitional costs. Strategic separation transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitors are taking note: McCormick’s CEO framed the food deals as competitive on flavour, underscoring that UL’s food moves will invite pushback and intensified competition in certain segments. McCormick CEO on Unilever food deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analyses versus peers (e.g., Henkel) are circulating, giving investors more context on valuation and margin paths but not delivering a clear consensus. Critical Analysis: Unilever versus Henkel
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group cut earnings estimates for Unilever, and broader skepticism about near‑term earnings (including the company’s recent quarterly EPS miss) is pressuring the stock — analysts trimming forecasts is a direct headwind for shares. Erste Group Lowers Earnings Estimates

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on UL shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Unilever from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 price target on Unilever and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.55.

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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