QRG Capital Management Inc. Increases Position in Unilever PLC $UL

QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 11.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 146,540 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,509 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $8,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Unilever by 9.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,054,973,000 after purchasing an additional 2,935,227 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $268,704,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,616,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,526,000 after purchasing an additional 323,393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 44.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,067,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $200,625,000 after buying an additional 942,286 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report 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 reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Unilever Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of UL opened at $62.52 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $58.13 and a 200-day moving average of $62.70. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.75 and a 52 week high of $74.97.

About Unilever

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.