Unilever PLC $UL Stock Bought by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 298,853 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,197 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $18,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Unilever by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,661,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,501,000 after buying an additional 937,346 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Unilever by 13.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,403,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $193,915,000 after buying an additional 406,610 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,722,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,690,000 after buying an additional 282,076 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 674.2% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,794,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,208,000 after buying an additional 2,433,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equity Investment Corp raised its position in shares of Unilever by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,996,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,057,000 after buying an additional 46,801 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of UL stock opened at $66.45 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.68. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.75 and a fifty-two week high of $74.97.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, October 12th. DZ Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Unilever from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $68.37.

About Unilever

Unilever plc is a global consumer goods company that develops and sells products across beauty and wellbeing, personal care, home care and food. Its brands include Dove, Vaseline, Knorr, Hellmann’s and Persil, with offerings ranging from skincare and haircare to household cleaning products, condiments and packaged foods. The company traces its origins to the 1929 merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie. Unilever serves consumers in markets around the world through retail and other distribution channels.