Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 410,103 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,527 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $24,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 5.4% during the 4th 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 increased its holdings in Unilever by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 1,587 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in Unilever by 39.7% during the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 15,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $969,000 after acquiring an additional 4,501 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in Unilever by 70.5% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 378,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,141,000 after acquiring an additional 156,404 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 17.4% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 427,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,155,000 after purchasing an additional 63,376 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on UL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Unilever from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of UL opened at $62.12 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.75 and a 52-week high of $74.97. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $61.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.20.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($0.92). The firm had revenue of $14.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.80 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.51 EPS for the current year.

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.