Eldred Rock Partners LLC Sells 26,066 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Eldred Rock Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 137,405 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,066 shares during the quarter. Unilever comprises about 2.5% of Eldred Rock Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Eldred Rock Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $9,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 9.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,054,973,000 after acquiring an additional 2,935,227 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 13,906.2% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,268,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,465,000 after purchasing an additional 2,252,105 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the third quarter worth $82,461,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.4% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 22,537,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,048,000 after purchasing an additional 959,269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 78.8% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,933,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,261,000 after purchasing an additional 852,099 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock opened at $55.46 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $67.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.06. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.95 and a 12-month high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last issued 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 business had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Unilever News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Unilever this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded Unilever to a Buy, highlighting upside potential from strategic moves and portfolio repositioning — this provides some analyst-driven support. Unilever (UL) Gets a Buy from TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting expected volume recovery points to improving underlying demand dynamics, a bullish signal if Unilever can convert volume gains into margin recovery. Unilever (UL) Supported by Expected Volume Growth Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Unilever and McCormick struck a major deal to build a ~$20B flavor business — strategic scale in flavors could unlock value and synergies over time, which some investors view as constructive. McCormick strikes mega deal with Unilever to build $20 billion flavor giant
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Fernando Fernandez is refocusing the company on higher‑margin health & beauty categories, a strategic pivot that investors may view as improving long‑term growth and margins. Unilever CEO Fernandez returns his roots with health and beauty makeover
• Neutral Sentiment: Unilever hosted a shareholder/analyst call with slides — useful for modeling and guidance details but not an immediate catalyst without new guidance or surprises. Unilever PLC (UL) Shareholder/Analyst Call – Slideshow
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank maintained a Hold on Unilever — a lukewarm stance that is unlikely to spur buying but tempers downside from more negative downgrades. Deutsche Bank Remains a Hold on Unilever (ULVR)
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies reiterated a Sell rating, adding direct downward pressure by signaling continued concern about valuation and near‑term performance. Jefferies Sticks to Their Sell Rating for Unilever (ULVR)
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Unilever has instigated a global hiring freeze for at least three months signal caution on costs and growth, which investors often interpret as a sign of near‑term pressure. Unilever starts global hiring freeze for at least three months, Reuters reports
• Negative Sentiment: Some investment banks called the McCormick-Foods spin/merger structure “not compelling value,” and analysts are split — this investor skepticism has already driven volatile selling in related shares. Unilever-McCormick deal ‘not compelling value’ but ‘makes sense’, say investment banks

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. DZ Bank cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 target price on Unilever and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.55.

Unilever 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.