Essex Financial Services Inc. Has $912,000 Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Essex Financial Services Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,078 shares of the company’s stock after selling 788 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 155.2% during the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 5,117 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 16.9% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,180,000 after purchasing an additional 15,941 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter valued at $11,694,000. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 236.2% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 21,441 shares during the period. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,388,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $58.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.40. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.