Bleakley Financial Group LLC Purchases 8,250 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 9.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 97,216 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,250 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $5,538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,773,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,261,000 after acquiring an additional 91,049 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth approximately $268,704,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in Unilever by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,616,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,526,000 after purchasing an additional 323,393 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Unilever by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,067,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,625,000 after purchasing an additional 942,286 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Unilever by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,608,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,586,000 after buying an additional 339,997 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on UL. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. 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 raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $60.90 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.75 and a 12 month high of $74.97. The company’s 50 day moving average is $58.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.50.

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.