Unilever PLC $UL Position Raised by BTC Capital Management Inc.

BTC Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 24.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 60,284 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,966 shares during the quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,054,973,000 after acquiring an additional 2,935,227 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 22,537,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,336,048,000 after purchasing an additional 959,269 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 91,049 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $268,704,000. Finally, 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UL. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Unilever from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Argus upgraded Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock opened at $60.04 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.75 and a 52 week high of $74.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $57.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.85.

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.