Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Grows Stake in Unilever PLC $UL

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE grew its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 77.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,886 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,728 shares during the period. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in Unilever were worth $7,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 40,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,376,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Invested Advisors raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Invested Advisors now owns 3,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Bridge Advisors raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.2% during the third quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors now owns 17,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $58.64 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.47. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.75 and a 12-month high of $74.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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