Blue Trust Inc. Increases Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 29.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,856 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,376 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Unilever by 981.6% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884,216 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 598.7% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,555,000 after buying an additional 1,114,992 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 7.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after buying an additional 1,114,177 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 493.4% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,785,000 after buying an additional 918,841 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 7,466.0% in the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 629,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,897,000 after buying an additional 621,248 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of UL stock opened at $57.52 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $57.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.39. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

About Unilever

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through five segments: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. The Beauty & Wellbeing segment engages in the sale of hair care products, such as shampoo, conditioner, and styling; skin care products including face, hand, and body moisturizer; and prestige beauty and health & wellbeing products consist of the vitamins, minerals, and supplements.