Equity Investment Corp Cuts Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Equity Investment Corp lowered its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,843,234 shares of the company’s stock after selling 223,685 shares during the period. Unilever makes up about 2.4% of Equity Investment Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Equity Investment Corp owned approximately 0.08% of Unilever worth $120,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,247,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,950,000 after purchasing an additional 37,630 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 160.8% in the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 82,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,375,000 after purchasing an additional 50,682 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 37.3% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 78,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,127,000 after acquiring an additional 21,313 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,003,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Unilever by 9.3% during the 3rd 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:UL opened at $58.36 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $57.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.40. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.75 and a 1-year high of $74.97.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Kepler Capital Markets cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Unilever from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.